Fakeaway recipes in Edinburgh

Edinburgh's food culture is built on three pillars: Indian restaurants (the city's curry scene rivals Glasgow's), chip shops (deep-fried Mars bars, fish suppers, haggis suppers), and the square sausage (a Lorne slice of sausage, square not round, a Scottish breakfast staple).

The curry scene in Edinburgh is older than Glasgow's. The British curry restaurant was invented in the 1960s, partly to feed soldiers who'd been stationed in India and Pakistan, and Edinburgh was an early adopter. The area around Nicolson Street and South Bridge has had Indian restaurants since the late 1960s. Khushi, Kebab Mahal, Mother India's Cafe — these are the classics.

The chip shop in Edinburgh does the same canon as Glasgow — fish and chips, pakora, kebabs, deep-fried Mars bars — but with some local twists. The haggis supper (deep-fried haggis with chips and curry sauce) is uniquely Edinburgh. So is the Lorne sausage supper. Both are worth trying at home.

For chains, Edinburgh has a strong showing. McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Nando's. Greggs is everywhere — its first restaurant outside the North East opened in Edinburgh. Pizza Hut and Domino's for late-night pizza.

Edinburgh's signature dishes: the deep-fried Mars bar (co-invented in nearby Stonehouse), the haggis supper, the Lorne sausage, the proper Chicken Tikka Masala. Edinburgh also has exceptional bakeries — too many to list, but check out the pies at Stewart's on Easter Road.

Edinburgh also has exceptional Scottish fine dining — but that's not fakeaway, that's restaurant. For fakeaway: it's curry, chips, and sausage.