What’s Eaten Where: Glasgow: Europe’s greyest city

Cyprus has a reputation of being the sunniest country in Europe. (It’s not. Malta is!) But if we look at the opposite end of the scale, you’d expect somewhere in Scandinavia, right?

Well yes and no. There’s a place in Norway called Rjukan where it’s dark for six months of the year. But when it comes to solid cloud cover, it’s Glasgow that tops the list. Here, you can expect sun on just 50 days during the entire year; less than 14 per cent of the time. It is, in a word, miserably grey.

That said, this certainly isn’t a boring place to be. Glasgow is home to a vibrant arts and culture scene, and there’s also some pretty spectacular architecture around. And of course, there’s the local food – an aspect that certainly adds to one’s gastric thrills!

Glasgow rivals Bradford for the title of Curry Capital of the UK. Perhaps the most popular of the local curries is chicken tikka masala: a dish that Glasgow native and owner of the Shish Mahal curry house, Ali Ahmed Aslam, claims to have invented when a nasty stomach ulcer put paid to his hotter creations. Another spicy favourite is pakora, a fritter containing veggies such as potatoes and onions. Originally from the subcontinent, this flavoursome snack plays right into the Glaswegian love for deep frying everything from pizza to Mars Bars!

More traditional offerings include the tattie scone, named for its main ingredient: potatoes. Made with mashed spuds, butter, salt and flour, this traditional treat is often accompanied by eggs, bacon, and Lorne sausage (minced beef, rusk or breadcrumbs, and spices) for a full Scottish breakfast. Throw in a round of chips ’n cheese and you’ve got lunch. Or, after one too many Single Malt Scotches from the Glasgow Distillery, there’s the iconic Glasgow Munchy Box, loaded with everything from kebabs to pizza, naan bread, chicken tikka, onion rings, chips and coleslaw.

Glasgow is the place to be if you’re looking for food that’s cheap – and very cheerful. Nothing lightens an endless succession of cloudy days like heavy carbs; though nobody’s going to recommend Glasgow fare over the Mediterranean diet for health, this food will probably cheer you up no end!