THE deep-fried Mars bar has achieved legendary status as an example of Scottish haute cuisine.

But many south of the Border — as well as two public- health specialists who live and work in Scotland — suspected that it was simply an urban myth. Surely the nation famed for haggis, neeps and tatties could not stoop to such a deadly speciality?

Now a study by the two specialists has proved that thousands of the deep-fried bars are sold every week.

One in five fish and chip shops admitted to David Morrison, an NHS Consultant in Public Health Medicine, and Dr Mark Petticrew of the Medical Research Council that they sell the delicacies.

When it first emerged in 1995 that Europe’s most unhealthy nation was covering Mars bars in batter before deep frying them, some could not quite believe it. The two specialists had never seen deep-fried Mars bars on sale but when they were mentioned by Jay Leno on the NBC Tonight Show, they set out to find if they really existed. They telephoned nearly 500 chip shops across Scotland and found that more than 1 in 5 (22 per cent) sold deep-fried Mars bars. A further 1 in 6 (17 per cent) had sold them in the past but no longer did.

Scotland has among the highest incidence of heart disease, cancer and strokes, the worst teeth and the lowest life expectancy in the developed world.

Dr Morrison, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Greater Glasgow, said: “We can now confirm that there is no doubt — the deep-fried Mars bar is not just an urban myth.” The birth of the battered delight has been traced to The Haven, a chip shop in Stonehaven which has since closed. It is thought that it originated in a bet struck between the shop’s then-owner and his portly best friend.

Today the shop is the Carron Fish and Chip Bar and is run by Calum Richardson. “It doesn’t surprise me they have become so popular. They are not my cup of tea but some weeks we sell as many as 300. At first it was a novelty but not any more,” he said.

The tasty treat will set you back 70p at the Carron or £1.70 if served as a “supper”, that is, with chips. A single portion scores more than 400 calories, more if washed down with a bottle of Irn Bru. But Dr Petticrew found one consolation. “Encouragingly we did find some evidence of the penetration of the Mediterranean diet into Scotland — albeit in the form of deep-fried pizza.”

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