The inside scoop of Italian ice-cream-making in Scotland
With the holiday season in full swing, Scott Montgomery explores the fascinating history of Italian ice-cream-making in Scotland.
PLANNING to visit Scotland this summer? Then at some point you will probably need a “pokey hat”. No, that’s not some kind of headgear which will protect you against the rain – although it would probably be advisable to make sure you pack something like that before you set off.
A “pokey hat” is an old-fashioned, Scottish slang word for an ice-cream – referring specifically to the triangular shape of the accompanying wafer cone.
The term comes from the affectionate nickname given to Italian “hokey pokey men” who pushed icecream carts along cobbled streets or set up in public parks.
Whether in one of the bigger cities like Edinburgh or Glasgow, or smaller coastal towns like Ayr or St Andrews, there’s a very good chance that, whenever you stop for a refreshing ice-cream, the parlour or shop may well be a business run by a family of Italian heritage.
Ice-cream is undoubtedly a huge part of Scottish culture, and now third- or even fourth-generation Italians are still at the heart of this thriving business and remain typically passionate about their art.
The phenomenon can be traced as far back as the late 19th century, when many Italian immigrants left a home country which had been ravaged by civil war and malaria.
A large number were heading for America, but some never got there, finding themselves stuck in Britain, unable to afford the price of passage across the Atlantic Ocean.
Naturally, others specifically chose Scotland, finding an affinity with the working classes, their hard work ethic successfully overcoming any anti-immigrant backlash.
Italian-run cafés and ice-cream parlours quickly proliferated, with around 335 in the Glasgow area alone by 1905. Some of the Italian families soon found that fish and chips was also very popular among the Scots – indeed, this dish,