Definition: Peat

For a very long time, moss and heather peat was the main fossil fuel found in abundance in Scotland, where it gave whisky its distinctive smoky flavour, obtained during the drying of malted barley. When burned, peat gives off a pungent smell of smoke, but also a whole range of aromas and flavours transmitted by phenolic compounds. When algae and shellfish accumulate in peat bogs, a distinct scent of iodine, algae and shellfish is released.

Peat is also used for soil rotation; it acidifies the soil by adding humus, which decomposes very slowly.