Gàidhlig / English
Deoch gheal

Deoch gheal

Posted by Edit on 24th August 2017

Sad though it is when summer comes to an end, there is one good thing – in my opinion – that it is fine to spend the dark evenings indoors with a hot drink (and maybe a candle or two.) Hence, this week’s word is deoch gheal– a hot drink.

There is an example from Assynt in the Fieldwork Archive where deoch gheal ‘white drink’, is described as hot water with oatmeal and sugar – a kind of gruel – and that it was often taken while working outside, for example at harvest time.
Deoch bhàn (also ‘white drink’) seems to be a more common name for the same thing and appears in many localities throughout Scotland. In some places it is described as a drink made of only oatmeal and hot water but it is mentioned by an informant in Barvas, Lewis, that some milk and salt, and sometimes a bit of butter, could be put in the deoch-bhàn as well.

Though this drink might seem a bit strange these days, it seems to have been enjoyed by many. In this interview about crofting in Lewis, it is mentioned that deoch bhàn was important while cutting peat. A boy would go around carrying a bucket of deoch bhàn and a ladle, occasionally filling workers’ cups with the drink, which would quench a thirst on a hot summer’s day.

There is also an example of the drink from Barra, where it was called stiùrag. The word stiùrag also appears in Lewis where it is mentioned that is was a good remedy for the cold.

Have you heard about deoch gheal/deoch bhàn/stiùrag? Why not let us know below or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

 
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