Tablet (confectionery)

Tablet (taiblet in Scots[1][2][3]) is a medium-hard, sugary confection from Scotland. Tablet is usually made from sugar, condensed milk, and butter, which is boiled to a soft-ball stage and allowed to crystallise. It is often flavoured with vanilla and sometimes has nut pieces in it.[2][4]

Tablet
TypeConfectionery
Place of originScotland
Main ingredientsButter, sugar, condensed milk

Tablet differs from fudge in that it has a brittle, grainy texture, where fudge is much softer. Well-made tablet is a medium-hard confection, not as soft as fudge, but not as hard as hard candy.

Commercially available tablet often uses fondant instead of the milk products. This produces a slightly less granular texture compared to the traditional home-made tablet, and is supposedly easier to prepare on a commercial scale.

History

According to The Scots Kitchen by F. Marian McNeill, tablet is noted in The Household Book of Lady Grisell Baillie in the early 18th century.[5] The traditional recipe uses just sugar and cream. More modern recipes substitute condensed milk and butter for the cream, as cream has a tendency to burn when boiled.

Names

Tablet is sometimes referred to as Swiss Milk tablet (Swiss Milk being a term used by some for condensed milk)[6][7][8] or butter tablet.

See also

References
  1. Rennie, Susan (ed.). "Dictionary of the Scots Language (DSL)". Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  2. Bell, John Joy (1903). Wee Macgreegor. pp. 8–9. ISBN 9780559576188.
  3. "Full text of "The household book of Lady Grisell Baillie, 1692-1733"". Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  4. "Scottish Tablet Company". Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  5. McNeill, F. Marian (1963). The Scots Kitchen (second ed.). London and Edinburgh: Morrison and Gibb Limited. p. 244.
  6. S.W.R.I. (1977). S.W.R.I. Jubilee Cookery Book. Edinburgh: Scottish Women's Rural Institutes; Reprint of 8th Edition (1968), p180
  7. "Swiss Milk Tablet 1935". Bygone Dundee. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  8. "Tablet | VisitScotland Food and Drink". Eatscotland.visitscotland.com. Retrieved 5 June 2013.


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