How blaand, Shetlanders' favourite drink, was made; other mi...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1970.241
Original Tape ID
Summary
How blaand, Shetlanders' favourite drink, was made; other milk products.
Blaand [whey and water] was a very popular drink in the past to the extent that it was the last request of all Shetlanders on their deathbed. Blaand was drunk like water. Sharp blaand was thirst-quenching, and strong but not intoxicating. Old people are still [1970] very fond of it, but some younger ones have never seen it. Fresh blaand was sweet. It was referred to as sharp bland after it had been kept for a few days. It strengthened with time and after eight or ten days in a cask it became like beer. Blaand was made from the buttermilk left after churning. It was mixed with boiling water in the churn. Cream cheese or crowdie could be made from the solids, pressed with salt and carvie [caraway] seeds.
Run [sour] milk was skimmed milk left till sour then heated for a couple of hours till it separated into sweet whey and curds. Everyone got a large bowl of this for supper with fresh milk.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Yell
Island - Yell
Village/Place - Arisdale
Item Location
County - Shetland
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good