Gun Àilgheas, Gun Loinn	No Extravagance or Seasoning
Trioblaid le bhith tuigsinn Gàidhlig Sùil air mar a bha am biadh Gaidhealach, ann an cainnt gun deasachadh bhon phrògram Biadh san t-sreath Aiteal aig BBC Rèidio nan Gaidheal. San ath iris, mar a tha a leithid a’ bhìdh am fasan a-rithist. Taing do Chomhairle na Gaidhealtachd airson cead an lethbhreac aca a thar-sgrìobhadh is a chlàradh air Teip Chothrom. (teacs tùsail)	A look at how Highland & Island food used to be, told in unedited, spoken Gaelic in an extract from the programme Biadh in the series Aiteal by BBC Radio nan Gaidheal. In the next issue, how food of its kind is in fashion once again. Thanks to Highland Council for permission to transcribe its copy and to record it on the Cothrom Tape. (translation)
Tha daoine a-nis a’ toirt sùil air ais a dh’fhaicinn dè bha na Gaidheil ag ithe bho chionn bhliadhnaichean. Nach iomadh òganach a ghabh sgàig is a bha air a sgeamhachadh le tiormachd an t-seann bhiadh Ghaidhealach. Le uiread de dh’ùpraid mun bhiadh an latha an-diugh, tha a’ phrosbaig a-nise air an dearbh bhiadh s[h]ìmplidh sin. Biadh gun àilgheas, is gun ghuth air e-factor no stuthan fuadain. Heiread [?] NicNèill à Uibhist a Tuath:	People are now looking back to see what the Gaels were eating years ago. As you know, many youngsters took an aversion to and were disgusted by the dryness of the old Highland food. With so much hoo-ha about the modern-day food, the spotlight is now on that self-same simple food. Food without extravagance, and without a mention of e-factor or artificial additives. Heiread [?] NicNèill from North Uist:
"Am biadh a tha sinn ag ithe an-diugh, chan eil coltas aige ris a’ bhiadh a bha sinn ag ithe bho chionn lethcheud bliadhna is còrr air ais. Nan itheadh tu cearc cha bhiodh oirre ach blas na circe; nan itheadh tu feòil ‘s e blas na feòla bhiodh ann, is coineanach – cha d’fhiach an coineanach agad mura [b’ e] blas a’ choineanaich. Am biadh a gheibh thu an-diugh, tha e air a thruailleadh leis a h-uile… cha dèan e an gnothach mura bi mixture air a chur ann dhen a h-uile seòrsa herbs is gnothaichean, gus nach eil fhios agad dè [th’ ann]. Cha b’ urrainn do dhaoine innse an-diugh dè am blas a tha air cearc no air coineanach no air feòil – no chan eil fhios agamsa dè mar as urrainn dhaibh sin innse leis na bhios air a chur air an truinnsear de ghnothaichean eile. Am biadh a bh’ againn bho chionn fada, bha brìgh ann is bha blas air is bha beatha ann."	"The food we eat today, it bears no resemblance to the food we ate fifty or more years ago. If you ate a hen the only flavour it would have was that of a hen; if you ate meat it would taste of meat, and rabbit – your rabbit wouldn’t be worth it if it didn’t taste of rabbit. The food you get today, it’s polluted with every… it won’t do if a mixture of every type of herb and the rest isn’t added, so that you don’t know what it is. People today couldn’t tell what hen or rabbit or meat tastes of – or I don’t know how they can tell with all that gets put on the plate of other things. The food we had a long time back, it had substance to it and a taste to it and a feel to it."
Eòlaiche bìdh, an t-Oll Criosaidh NicRisnidh: "Tha iad ag ràdh nach robh daoine anns an rìoghachd cho fallain aig àm sam bith ‘s a bha iad aig àm a’ chogaidh [nu]air a bha rationing ann. Bha iad an uair sin a’ faighinn am biadh a dh’fheumadh iad fhaighinn airson iad fhèin a chumail fallain."	Food expert, Dr Criosaidh NicRisnidh: "They say that people in this country were never so healthy as they were during the war when there was rationing. At that time they were getting the food that they required to keep themselves healthy."
An dèidh bliadhnaichean do phailteas tha sinn ann an suidheachadh far an urrainn taghadh a dhèanamh mu na tha sinn ag ithe. Dh’fhoillsich rannsaichean sna Stàitean Aonaichte gu robh an t-aran coirce air leth math son ìsleachadh an cholesterol san fhuil. Mean air mhean tha barrachd air fhoillseachadh mun bhiadh a bha na Gaidheil ag ithe san latha a dh’fhalbh. Chan e mhàin gu bheil e fallain, ach tha e nis san fhasan. Alastair Mac-a-Phì aig a bheil bùth delicatessen ann an Glaschu:	After years of plenty, we are in the position where all that we eat can be chosen. Researchers in the United States showed that oatcake was exceptionally good for the lowering of cholesterol in the blood. Gradually more is published about the food the Gaels ate in the past. Not only was it healthy, but it’s now fashionable. Alastair Mac-a-Phì, who has a delicatessen in Glasgow:
"Chì thu mar a tha uisge an tobair ga reic an-diugh am botail. Bidh gàire beag a’ tighinn nam aodann an-dràst’ is a-rithist is a’ smaointinn an damaiste bh’ againn a’ dol dhan tobar nuair a bha mi beag, is a ghràin a bh’ againn air, is a’ caoidh nach robh uisge an tap againn – agus an-diugh tha iad ga cheannach ann am botail.	"You can see how spring water is sold today in a bottle. A wee smile comes to my face now and then thinking of the hassle we had going to the well when I was young, and how much we hated it, and moaning that we didn’t have tap-water – and today they buy it in bottles.
"Tha e fallainte, tha e math dhut, chan eil sìon air a chur na lùib a tha dona dhut. Agus tha mi smaointinn gu dearbh cion nithean chemicals ann, no fìor bheag. Agus tha mi smaoineachadh gu bheil a h-uile duine airson [a bhith] fallain an-diugh, tha iad cho fallain is tha iad a’ coimhead às deaghaidh na slàinte, is tha mi smaoineachadh gur e sin a tha ga fhàgail…. Agus tha e èibhinn, tha fhios a’d, fàs[aidh] rud mar sin fasanta.	"It’s healthy, it’s good for you, there’s nothing added to it which is bad for you. And I believe indeed no chemical substances in it, or very little. And I think everyone wants to be healthy today, they’re so healthy and they look after their well-being, and I think that’s the reason for it. And it’s funny, you know, something like that becomes easy.
"Tha tòrr dhaoine nach eil ag ithe feòil an-diugh cuideachd. Chì mise seann daoine tighinn a-staigh is bidh iad ag ràdh, chan eil mi ag ithe feòil, is bidh mi ag ràdh nach robh thusa na do vegetarian bho chionn trì fichead bliadhna. Bidh iad ag ràdh, ò uill, chan eil a’ chlann, chan eil iadsan ag ithe feòil is mar sin stad sinne cuideachd, oir bha e na b’fhasa dhuinn an aon bhiadh a dhèanamh, agus cha chreid thu mar a tha e air spreadhadh air feadh nan daoine. ‘S e fasan a thaobh a bhith cho fallain."	"Also, there are many people who don’t eat meat these days. I see old folk coming in and they say, I don’t eat meat, and I say that you weren’t a vegetarian sixty years ago. They say, oh well, the children, they don’t eat meat and so we stopped too, since it was easier for us to make the same food, and you won’t believe how it has suddenly swept through the population. It’s the fashion of being healthy."
Dolina Ros, prìomh thè karate ann am Breatainn: "Nuair a sguir mise ithe feòil dearg dh’fhairich mi gun dh’fhàs mi fada mòr nas sùbailte na bha mi. B’ àbhaist dhomh bhith uabhasach teann mu na cruachainn is na glùinean is chan eil sin math dhut nuair a bhios tu a’ dèanamh karate. Nuair a sguir mi dhe ag ithe feòil dearg dh’fhàs mi sùbailte is chan eil e nis duilich dhomh a bhith ciceadh duine anns a’ cheann."	Dolina Ros, top female karateist in Britain: "When I stopped eating red meat I felt that I became much more supple than I had been. I used to be extremely tight about the hips and the knees and that’s not beneficial when you do karate. When I stopped eating red meat I became supple and know it’s no problem for me to kick someone in the head."
Heiread NicNèill: "Bho chionn fada cha robh ann ach nì no nì dìreach, feòil no sìthean no gu dè bhiodh ann. Mas e an t-iasg fhèin an-diugh bidh e air a loinneadh suas le. Bha iad fallain gun teagamh, mura biodh dìreach anfhannachd aca, a bhios uaireannan ann an duine co-dhiù, ma bha sineach ann… ach na daoine bha fallain mar sineach, saoilidh mi gu’ robh iad na b’ fhaillaine gun teagamh."	Heiread NicNèill: "Long ago it was only a case of […], meat or venison or whatever. Even with fish today it will be seasoned with something or other. They were healthy, without doubt, unless they simply had a debility, which is sometimes in folk anyway, if they had that… but the folk who were healthy like that, I think they were definitely healthier."
Nuair a tha duine sam bith a’ coimhead air ais thairis nan làithean buidhe dh’fhalbh, tha e buailteach air a bhith dubhadh a-mach na duilgheadasan is na cùisean a bha nan aghaidh. An Dotair Ruairidh [Caimbeul, GP] a-rithist:	When anyone looks back over the halcyon days that have passed, he is liable to black out the difficulties and problems that confronted them. Doctor Ruairidh Caimbeul, GP, again:
"An gnothach a th’ ann, tha taghadh ann an-diugh. Tha am biadh an-diugh, tha deagh bhiadh ann ma tha thu dol ga cheannach agus a’ dol ga iarraidh. Ach niste, am biadh a bh’ againn bho chionn fada air a’ chroit, tha mi smaoineachadh gur e deagh bhiadh a bh’ ann, ach cha robh taghadh mòr againn, mar sin bha sinn ag ithe iasg is buntàta is beagan feòil, is bha sinn ag ithe brochan is aran coirce. Cha robh sinn ag ithe uabhas shuiteas no gnothaichean eile dhen t-seòrsa sin idir; cha robh iad ri fhaighinn. Chanainn cuideachd nach robh mòran vegetables no ‘leithid sin ri ithe idir, agus tha mi smaoineachadh nach robh sinn ro mhath.	"The point is, there is choice today. The food today, there is good food if you go and buy it and go and get it. But now, the food we had long ago on the croft, I think it was good food, but we didn’t have a wide choice so we ate fish and potato and a little meat, and we ate porridge and oatcake. We didn’t eat many sweets or other things like that at all; they weren’t to be got. I would say too that there weren’t many vegetables or such like eaten at all, and I don’t believe that that was good.
"Tha cuimhne agad air a’ chaitheamh a bha mu chuairt, bha sinn fhèin a’ faighinn caitheamh ann am beothaichean. B’ fheudar dhuinn fhìn na beothaichean air fad a mharbhadh, bha an caitheamh orra. Agus iomadach rud eile bha tachairt, agus tha cuimhn’ agam mu iomadach seachdain air feadh a’ gheamhraidh anns nach biodh bainne idir againn."	"You remember the consumption that was on the go, we got consumption in our own cattle. We had to kill all our own cattle, they had consumption. And many other things occurred, and I recall many weeks throughout the winter in which we’d have no milk at all."
Cairistìona Chaimbeul: "Tha mi smaoineachadh gu robh cus geir anns an diet a bh’ ac’ uaireigin. Bha iad ag ithe fada cus feòil agus [a’ gh]eir air a’ feòil cuideachd, tha fhios a’d mar an crackling air ròst is rudan mar sin. Agus bhiodh iad ag ithe hama is [na] geir a th’ air a’ hama. Chan eil sin math dhut, agus [b]ha iad ag ithe cus buntàt’, tha mise smaoineach’ co-dhiù gu bhith ag ithe cus buntàt’, agus gu robh sin a’ leantainn dha tòrr tinneasan anns a’ chridh’."	Cairistìona Chaimbeul: "I think there was too much fat in the diet they once had. They ate far too much meat and the fat on the meat as well, you know like the crackling on a roast and things like that. And they would eat bacon and the fat on the bacon. That’s not good for you, and they ate too much potato, I think anyway eating too much potato, and that that was leading to many heart diseases."

You can find more articles in the archive under Gaelic Column and information on the organization at C.L.I.