Haggis

Bafflingly, for many people Scottish cuisine remains something of an oxymoron, little more than a cholesterol-laden punchline. – The Guardian

I have never eaten haggis, although I have heard a lot about it, and should I ever be close to one, I would try it.

Haggis – Image: diewhiskybotschaft.de

The idea of haggis is intriguing. I like most offal foods, with the exception of tripe, so I see no reason for not liking haggis.

Haggis is a spicy, meatloaf-like minced sheep offal served with ”neeps and tatties,” or turnips and potatoes – the perfect Scottish comfort food. Image: Foodie International

Traditionally,  “Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach and simmered for approximately three hours.” – Wikipedia

But there are many many things you can do to haggis.

Haggis Sausage Rolls – Image: Dinner Diary (with recipe)

Haggis & Oatcake Canapé – Image: Yahoo Lifestyle and recipe

If you look around the net, you can find haggis balls, deep fried haggis balls, vegetarian haggis, haggis puffs, haggis crepes, haggis toasted sandwiches, haggis and chips.

Then there’s the fast food and international influences… haggis pizza, haggisburger, haggis pakora, haggis nachos, haggis burritos, haggis and onion bhajis… You can stuff chicken with it, you can get it in a can or in sachets.

The list is endless. Haggis has to be amongst the most versatile foods.

And… you can feed the scraps to the cat.

Then there’s haggis for dessert chocolates.

Haggis Chocolates – Image: SodaHead

Scotland-based chocolate maker, Nadia Ellingham, just invented a horrifying new desert: Haggis-flavored Chocolate. It’s chocolate with a hint of sheep’s liver, heart, lungs, oatmeal, onions and spices boiled in the animal’s own stomach. It’s amazing no one thought of this before.

In Ellingham’s defense, she has stated that she avoided including any haggis ingredients that would clash with the taste of the chocolate. But still, when the clashing ingredient in haggis IS haggis, it’s hard to understand what she left in.

There is much humour about the haggis…

From:  Improbable Research – How to Raise Haggis

The Haggis – An Endangered Scottish Species

The Wild Haggis

The Haggis Hunting Season

As winter approaches, a crime against Scottish wildlife looms. From 30th November (St. Andrews Day) to 25th January (Robert Burns birthday), a small, defenceless furry creature is chased and killed to provide the Scots with their traditional feast.

Read more on: HubPages