The humble Scotch egg has lived a relatively stable existence as a quintessential British pub snack, lunch box staple and 'funeral buffet prerequisite'. 

That was until it was thrust into the limelight amid a truly bizarre row over whether it constitutes a 'substantial meal' that consumed the political discourse over a few days in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

Now the dish, which consists of a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat that is breaded then fried, has once again become the talk of the steamie - 7,000 miles away in Argentina. 

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The culprit this time is María Sol, a contestant in the Argentine version of competitive cooking reality show MasterChef, whose Scotch egg recipe on a recent episode wowed the judges.

Germán Martitegui, who owns Tegui, Argentina's top-ranking restaurant and one that regularly find itself ranked among the best in the world, described it as “perfect”. 

The episode has sparked the sudden wave of recipes for Scotch eggs (‘huevo escoces’ in Spanish) on food blogs and recipe sites and in newspapers from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.

'Huevo escoces' also appeared among the top five Google trends in the country on Thursday, with more than 2,000 searches. 

Daily newspaper La Voz del Interior, published in Córdoba, the second-largest city in Argentina, was quick to hop on board the Scotch egg hype train, which was perhaps  understandable given that the MasterChef contestant who made the dish was herself a Córdoba native.

In an article titled ‘How a scotch egg is made, the perfect dish they made in MasterChef’, they wrote that the scotch egg “is a popular dish in the UK that is usually prepared for picnics” and is normally “eaten cold, with the boiled egg wrapped as a fried croquette, with breadcrumbs, chorizo ​​meat, ham and other things”.

The article went on to describe it as “a popular Scottish dish”, which, as most know, isn’t the case.

Depending on who you believe, Scotch eggs originated in the Whitby area of Yorkshire in the late 19th century or by London department store Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly in 1738.

Regardless, despite previous suggestions that a dish dredged in breadcrumbs and deep-fried doesn't really cut it as the snack of choice in the health-conscious 21st century, its newfound fame appears to illustrate that there’s plenty of life left in Scotch eggs yet. 

That being said, for anyone who may want to make their own at home, here’s a recipe that appeared in The Herald a few years back from Aye Love Real Food, who have been producing handmade artisan scotch eggs from their kitchen in Ayrshire since 2014.

Ingredients: Serves 1

2 eggs 

80g good quality pork sausage meat

30g black pudding (finely diced)

small bowl of flour

100g wholemeal bread crumbs

clingfilm

deep fat fryer and vegetable oil

Method:

1. Boil 1 egg (approximately 8 minutes for a gel like yolk).

2. While the egg is boiling, mix the sausage meat and black pudding together and form into a ball. Place on cling film sheet and flatten to a circular shape big enough to cover the egg.

3. Remove the cooked egg from the pan and allow to cool under cold water. 

4. Remove the shell and place the egg on top of the pork sausage mixture then wrap the meat around the egg ensuring the white is completely covered. Wrap in clingfilm and allow to chill in the fridge.

5. Heat the oil in the fryer to 180 degrees.

6. In the mean time beat the other egg to make egg wash. Remove the clingfilm and coat the scotch egg in flour then submerge in egg wash before applying the first coat of breadcrumb. Dip the scotch egg back in egg wash and breadcrumb again to ensure it is well coated before placing in the fryer for 7-8 minutes.

7. Serve hot with a warm tattie scone and hollandaise if you're feeling indulgent or allow it to cool for the perfect picnic snack.