Scottish word of the week: Bridie

The bridie, also known as the Forfar bridie, is a popular meat pastry sold in Scotland since the mid-19th century.

The humble bridie’s etymology, depending on the account you read, lays either in its frequent appearance on wedding menus, or via Margaret Bridie of Glamis, who apparently sold the eponymous pastries in the Buttermarket area of Forfar.

The bridie is visually similar to its English counterpart, the Cornish pasty, but there are differences in the pastry used as well as the filling.

While Cornish pasties are made with shortcrust pastry, most bridies are made with flaky pastry. Though bridies in Forfar are also made with shortcrust pastry, they tend to be a little softer.

Unlike pasties, bridies do not contain potatoes - they are filled with minced steak, beef suet, and sometimes onions.

Author JM Barrie may have been partial to a bridie - he made mention of the snack in Sentimental Tommy.