Italians from Barga in Lucca settled in Glasgow and Paisley in numbers, and by 1914 they ran the cafe trade across the west of Scotland and were the people who put the fish supper into it. The room they built puts ice cream, a chip pan and a formica counter together, and for most towns it was the social centre as much as a shop.
The Scots-Italian cafe.
how it is eaten · Glasgow and the west of Scotland
What they make
- The nougat wafer. Two scoops between chocolate-dipped stuffed wafer, and Waverley Bakery in Cambuslang planned to stop making the last of them in 2025.
Sources & mentions
- [1]Our Migration Story, Dr Terri Colpi, University of St Andrews
“migrants from Barga (Lucca province) settled predominantly in Glasgow and Paisley where they formed the largest contingent of Italians. By 1910, one successful entrepreneur or padrone, Leopoldo Giuliani, owned twenty shops and had interests in at least sixty.”
“By the 1920s and 1930s, Italians had consolidated their niche activity. Almost every town hosted at least one Italian family in ice cream or fish and chips. In most cities, Italian shops were located on main roads and families lived above or beside their business.”
- [2]The Scotsman, Alison Campsie, 9 February 2016
“By 1914, the Italians dominated the cafe trade in the West of Scotland - and were at the forefront of popularising the fish supper.”
- [3]The Scotsman, Gaby Soutar, 17 January 2025
“Cambuslang's Waverley Bakery, who also make fan wafers and oyster delights, is planning to cease production of their nougat wafer. They're the last supplier of this iconic Scottish treat.”