Soor ploom

Soor ploom

Type	Confectionery
Place of origin	Scotland
Region or state	Scottish Borders

A Soor ploom (Scots for "sour plum") is a sharp-flavoured, round, green boiled sweet originally associated with Galashiels, Scotland. They are sold loose by weight in paper bags, traditionally in "quarters" — a quarter of a pound.

They are said to have been first made in 1337 in commemoration of a skirmish near Galashiels. A raiding party from England were overwhelmed and killed by local men when discovered eating unripe plums.[1][2]

A "childhood favourite,"[3] they are pale green and "slightly acid in flavour".[2] They have been featured in Oor Wullie and The Broons cartoons.

"Soor Plooms" is the motto of the town Galashiels.[4]

There is a Border pipe tune from 1700 called "Soor Plooms of Galashiels".[5]

References

1. Scottish Festivals, Sheila Livingstone, Birlinn (1997)
2. Amy Stewart (1975). Dae Ye Min' Langsyne?: A Pot-Pourri of Games, Rhymes, and Ploys of Scottish Childhood. Folklore. pp. 165–6. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
3. Neil Wilson (2004). Edinburgh. Lonely Planet. p. 147.
4. John Ruskin (1907). The Works of John Ruskin. Longmans, Green, and co. p. 613.
5. Francis Collinson (1975). The Bagpipe: The History of a Musical Instrument. Routledge. p. 111.

Further reading

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