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Deep Fried Mars bars were never a myth

Anonymous said:
James Whitehead said:
......I once had a slight urge to try one
of the peanut butter and banana deep-fried sandwiches which killed
Elvis. Well not the exact ones . . :cross eye
D'ye know that he was also partial to squirrel? Fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches are delicious!

Deep-fried peanut butter, banana and squirrel sandwiches? That's decadence!
 
I remember being with my sister when she bought a deep fried Mars bar in Dorset and that was definitely before 1992.
 
Dr_Baltar said:
In the early '80s deep fried Mars bars had been featured in a "cooking" segment of the Australian comdey series Australia You're Standing In It. The dish was sometimes cooked in Australia around that time as a novelty. There is therefore some possibility that the Scottish fried Mars bar phenomena was imported from Australia, especially given the volume of emigration between Britain and Australia during the period.
You know, I watched that show, and I don't recall that sketch at all.
 
The Haven chippy in Stonehaven has re-opened under new management and is still selling deep fried mars bars. enjoy
 
Just been to the Crescent Chippy here in Forres, and two youngsters both bought a deep fried Mars bar and a can of energy drink.

I on the other hand had the healthy option of a Red pudding supper.
 
Ginando said:
Just been to the Crescent Chippy here in Forres, and two youngsters both bought a deep fried Mars bar and a can of energy drink.

I on the other hand had the healthy option of a Red pudding supper.

Hmm, there was a can of energy drink thrown at someone over on another thread...
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Very wise. Bottle of Vimto, or Currie's Red Kola, to wash it down? :)

Barr's Irn Bru actually. Scotlands other national drink
 
Deep-fried Mars bars disowned by chocolate firm

Chocolate manufacturing giant Mars has distanced itself from the famous deep-fried Mars bar by seeking a disclaimer.
The Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven, in Aberdeenshire, claims to be the birthplace of the recipe almost two decades ago.
Plans to bid for EU protected geographical status were dropped.

Mars has written to the owners saying the product is not authorised or endorsed as it does not fit the company's promotion of healthy living.
A menu disclaimer is being sought, to make people aware deep-frying is not what the company has in mind for its product.
A Mars spokesperson said: "We are really flattered that customers of Carron Fish Bar like our product so much that it has now become a flagship product for the store.

"No application for a protected geographical indication has been filed to date.
"Should an application be filed, unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to support it as deep-frying one of our products would go against our commitment to promoting healthy, active lifestyles."

Lorraine Watson from the Carron Fish Bar told BBC Scotland she had written to Mars to say she was happy to put up a "disclaimer" notice in the shop.

Mark Cruickshank, a senior solicitor with Brodies intellectual property department, told BBC Scotland: "I suspect Mars is concerned that the deep-frying of its products is not in line with its policy of promoting a healthy lifestyle and it is keen to take steps to protect its own brand."
He said Mars would have been aware that they should not be "too heavy-handed" and risk a backlash against their product in Scotland.
Mr Cruickshank said: "In the letter they have asked for a disclaimer to be put on the menu and on the fish shop wall.
"It seems that Mrs Watson is happy to do that and it seems the parties have reached a good compromise here."

The deep-fried Mars bar has become synonymous with negative aspects of the Scottish diet since it was first reported in the Daily Record in 1995.
The newspaper called the phenomenon, with its links to Stonehaven, "Scotland's craziest takeaway" and said "sweet-toothed youngsters are ordering their favourite choc bars deep-fried in batter".

By 2004, the reputation of the deep-fried Mars bar had travelled the Atlantic and it was mentioned on the Jay Leno Show in the US.
Later that year, UK medical magazine The Lancet published research from two Glasgow-based public health experts who thought the craze could be an urban myth as they had never met anyone who had eaten one.
They surveyed hundreds of fish and chip shops in Scotland to find out if "the delicacy" was available and if people were actually buying them.
It found 66 shops which sold them, 22% of those who had answered the survey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-n ... d-19487149
 
If anybody really thinks that deep fried Mars Bars are some extreme aberration, unique to the Scots, then they should try Googling, 'deep fried USA'. A land where deep fried butter is only the start of the gastronomic adventure.
 
This must now be one of the oldest active threads on the FTMB - it'll reach 10 years old in December! 8)
 
rynner2 said:
Mars has written to the owners saying the product is not authorised or endorsed as it does not fit the company's promotion of healthy living.

:lol: In other news, Smirnoff claim their product should not be consumed in large quantities to make ugly people appear more attractive.
 
Whey would a deep fried Mars bar be more unhealthy than , say a banana fritter beloved of us Chinese take away freaks? Oh, lets see- it would be the Mars bar :)
 
The deep-fried Mars bar vs porridge: Two Scottish favourites go head to head
It may seem a no-brainer, but scientists are to test the effects of the fabled snack on blood vessels
Roger Dobson Sunday 25 August 2013

The health effects of that fabled Scottish snack, the deep-fried Mars bar, are to be tested in a clinical trial which will form the first scientific study into the impact that the snack, reputedly most popular in Glasgow, has on the human body.

Researchers at Glasgow's Western Infirmary hospital will compare the effects with those that occur after eating a more conservative, and healthier, Scottish dish – a bowl of porridge.

"The deep-fried chocolate bar... has been cited as a symbol of all that is wrong with the high-fat, high-sugar Scottish diet," says Professor Matthew Walters, the lead consultant for stroke in West Glasgow, who is director of the Scottish Stroke Research Network. "Despite the snack's reputation, no medical research has been performed to examine the effects of consuming a deep-fried chocolate bar on the human body, and that is what we are going to do," he explained.
"In this student project we will look at what happens to blood vessels in the brain and compare the effects of fried chocolate with another traditional Scottish delicacy, porridge."

Porridge has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but its effect on brain blood flow has yet to be investigated. In the study, 24 healthy volunteers aged under 40 will eat either a regular deep-fried Mars or a bowl of porridge, several days apart, and ultrasound scans will assess the impact on blood vessels, including the largest artery in the brain.

Regular, moderate consumption of chocolate has been associated with reduced stroke risk, and the same team has demonstrated a change in brain blood vessels after eating a 100g bar of chocolate. Antioxidants present in the chocolate may be responsible for this.

William Dunn, the student who will perform the scans, said: "We hope that the results will shed more light on the links between diet and stroke, and allow health-conscious Glaswegians to make a more informed choice in the chip shop."

Folklore has it that the deep-fried Mars was first eaten in 1995 in Aberdeen. By 2004, a survey of 627 fish-and-chip shops in Scotland, published in The Lancet, showed that 22 per cent sold deep-fried Mars bars. Average weekly sales were 23 bars, but 10 shops reported selling up to 200, with a typical price of 60p. Other foods that the fish-and-chip shops had been asked to fry include Snickers bars, bananas, and Creme Eggs.
Three shops each said they had been asked for deep-fried ice cream and deep-fried Maltesers.

"Encouragingly," said the researchers, "we did also find some evidence of the penetrance of the Mediterranean diet into Scotland, albeit in the form of deep-fried pizza." 8)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 83647.html
 
rynner2 said:
Three shops each said they had been asked for deep-fried ice cream...
I've heard from fanatical Christian evangelists, the expression "falling for the fried ice cream" as a metaphor for being taken in by Satan's lures. Truth, perhaps, even stranger than... whatever...
 
'Birthplace of the deep fried Mars bar' banner is banned

A chip shop has been ordered to remove a banner which hails it as the birthplace of the deep fried Mars bar.
The Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, attracts tourists from around the world who want to try the recipe.
It proudly displays a banner on the side of the building claiming staff there invented the snack.
But Aberdeenshire Council has now said it must come down "for the good of the wider community".

Carron Fish Bar owner Lorraine Watson said the proposed ban was "ridiculous" and she would "definitely not" be taking the banner down.
Mrs Watson said: "Thousands and thousands of tourists come from all over the world to purchase the deep fried Mars bar from the birthplace.
"They stand outside under the banner with their Mars bar, smiling from ear to ear, then go home and let all their friends and family see it.
"We have no idea why the council would want this banner taken down, bearing in mind it takes thousands of visitors to the town.
"Isn't that what we are trying to do? Aren't we trying to boost tourism in Scotland?"

Aberdeenshire Council issued Mrs Watson with the ban as part of a plan to smarten up business premises in the town.
A council letter sent to her said: "Following a thorough walkabout and inspection, an action plan has been drawn up.
"Many of the actions would fall to individual property owners and one of them relates to your property. What needs to be done: Remove banner."
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "Together with a range of community organisations we have been looking at ways to improve the look of Stonehaven for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors.
"An action plan has been created in conjunction with the Stonehaven Town Partnership, Community Council, Stonehaven Business Association and the Horizon Group.
"As part of the action plan we have asked some owners in the area to consider making alterations to their properties. This included asking the owners of The Carron Fish Bar to consider removing their banner.
"We do not wish to prevent the owners from promoting their business and we would be happy to have discussions with them regarding the banner."

It is not the first time Mrs Watson has faced a fight over the treat.
Chocolate giant Mars wrote to her in 2012 distancing itself from the recipe.
The company said it could not authorise or endorse the product which went against its policy of promoting a "healthy lifestyle".
The deep fried Mars bar has become synonymous with negative aspects of the Scottish diet since it was "invented" in the mid-1990s.
By 2004, the reputation of the snack had travelled the Atlantic and it was mentioned on the Jay Leno Show in the US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-33588382
 
These council officials certainly love their "action plans" :)
 
A Scottish friend of ours never mentioned deep fried Mars bars, but did say that deep-fried Spam was a regular dish in her parents house. She believes it contributed to their ill health, actually. I don't suppose anyone is lobbying against deep-fried Spam? Then again, maybe Spam in any form isn't likely to attract tourists...
 
A Scottish friend of ours never mentioned deep fried Mars bars, but did say that deep-fried Spam was a regular dish in her parents house. She believes it contributed to their ill health, actually. I don't suppose anyone is lobbying against deep-fried Spam? Then again, maybe Spam in any form isn't likely to attract tourists...

Freshly caught haggis with taties & neaps is a much healthier option.
 
Spam fritters were deep fried spam and they had it in the school canteen back in the early 1980's. Also, everything was cooked in lard. I'm surprised my arteries hadn't furred up years ago.
 
I do still occasionally fry up some Spam with my breakfast - it's better than cheap sausages, anyway.
I only get a full cooked breakfast once a week or so, my arteries can probably take it.
 
The article says...

"As part of the action plan we have asked some owners in the area to consider making alterations to their properties. This included asking the owners of The Carron Fish Bar to consider removing their banner."

They considered it and decided not to. Why's this in the paper?
 
The article says...

"As part of the action plan we have asked some owners in the area to consider making alterations to their properties. This included asking the owners of The Carron Fish Bar to consider removing their banner."

They considered it and decided not to. Why's this in the paper?

Because it was a Sassenach inspired attack on Scottish Culture?
 
Spam fritters were deep fried spam and they had it in the school canteen back in the early 1980's. Also, everything was cooked in lard. I'm surprised my arteries hadn't furred up years ago.
I saw it as a real treat, as they didn't do it that often.
School meals were occasionally rather enjoyable.
 
Spam fritters are school were nice, at least they were when I was a kid.

A couple of years ago I bought some and shallow fried them to see if they were still delicious... they were f*cking rank! :eek:
 
Yes, Spam fritters, that's what they were called! Thanks for reminding me. I knew they had a name. :)
 
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