The Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) define this term briefly as “a kind of toffee or candy”.
The earliest citation comes from Robert Shennan’s Tales (1831): “Here yellow-man, A’ paper’d lest it file [foul] your han’”. Then, in July 1887, it appears in The Fishing Gazette in a list of sweets: “Blackman, yellowman, Ferguson’s rock”.
In June 1861, The Greenock Advertiser reported on a case of "illicit distillation" in which the defence argued that, rather than being used to distil whisky, “the [accused’s] tin pan was a kettle used for scalding sugar and boiling water for the purpose of making ‘blackman’ and ‘yellowman’”.
Florence Marion McNeill provided a recipe in The Scots Kitchen (1929), instructing readers to follow the instructions for blackman treacle candy but to “use three parts golden syrup to one of treacle … adding a little lemon juice”.
Yellowman has taken on a life of its own in Northern Ireland, where it has become closely associated with the Ballycastle’s Ould Lammas Fair. In August 2017, the Daily Mirror reported that, “Naturally, dulse and yellowman were in plentiful supply” at the fair.
In August 2024, the BBC covered the difference between the golden yellowman believed to be “representative of the traditional version” and the “bright yellow confection” that is now best known.
This much-loved treat was once even presented at a G8 summit. In June 2013, the Belfast Telegraph reported that an assortment of local delicacies including a “yellowman ice-cream with dulse garnish” had been assembled for leaders.
Scots Word of the Week comes from Dictionaries of the Scots Language and is illustrated by Bob Dewar. Visit DSL Online at https://dsl.ac.uk.
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