The Running Chef

With Burns night fast approaching, what better way to celebrate it than with an exploratory look at Scotland’s national dish, Haggis. So what better way would there be to celebrate Burns Night this 25^th of January than with something so quintessentially Scottish.

What is Haggis?

If you asked a Scottish person what it is, they’d likely tell you it was a small creature from the highlands. A Haggis has four legs and runs around the mountains without falling. However, you can easily catch one by running the other way around the mountain. This is, of course, a national joke that’s often told to tourists who ask what Haggis is. One in three Americans now believe that Haggis is a real animal.

It is, in fact, a savoury pudding of Scottish origin. It’s traditionally made from offal, oatmeal, onions, and spices. The minced heart, lungs, and liver, known as the sheep’s pluck, would be mixed with the flavourings and then packed into a sheep’s stomach lining. It has similarities with traditional blood sausage, especially since most modern producers have started using synthetic casings with little effect on flavour, much like an everyday sausage.

Haggis has a coarse, crumbly texture with a warm, peppery flavour. Like most traditional recipes, the intensity of the flavour can vary from place to place. However, Haggis tends to have a meaty flavour with a taste some might call metallic owing to the amount of offal it entails. While it can be rich, onions and oats offer a balancing sweetness.

A Brief History of …

While it’s considered a national dish of Scotland, the origins of the Haggis remain pretty mysterious. The dish isn’t unique to Scotland either, with mentions of it in early Greek works, and Viking connections remain strong. These connections come in the form of words with Swedish and Icelandic words, “Hagga” and “Hoggva“, respectively, resembling Haggis. These words mean to chop or hew, and similar haggis-like dishes are still prevalent in Scandinavia.

Haggis’ unknown origins have given rise to different theories over its birth. Some think the wives of highland cattle drovers would prepare the meal for them to eat as they walked their cows to Edinburgh markets. Some think the Vikings could have introduced these Scandinavian dishes to Scotland during their 8^th-century invasions.

Serving Haggis Today

Traditionally, Haggis would have been a meal for the poor. A clan chieftain would or would have someone else slaughter an animal for an important feast. The slaughterer would then receive the offal as a gift from the clan chief as payment. It wasn’t an act of kindness but a way of getting rid of the less desired cuts of the animal, with the actual meat reserved for the chieftain and his guests.

Nowadays, however, it is renowned around the world as part of a traditional Burns supper. It’s served alongside Scottish whisky and another conventional Scottish dish, Neeps and Tatties. Its appearance and association with Burns Night makes sense since the poet Robert Burns helped popularise the dish with his poem “Address to a Haggis.”

The United States and Haggis

Unfortunately, if you’re reading this in the United States, I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to buy traditional Haggis. This is because it has been banned in the country since 1971. Sanctions were enforced on foods that contained one of its key ingredients, a significant part of the traditional “pluck,” sheep’s lung.

Haggis is made by Scottish producers stateside, but it still can’t use traditional recipes. This is because the use of sheep lung is also banned in US-produced foods. It’s banned due to the potential influx of phlegm or stomach acid entering the lungs during slaughter.

A Quick Recipe

Traditionally, Haggis would be boiled for hours, but this runs the risk of bursting. It can also be cooked in an oven with a splash of water or microwaved. Most brough Haggis are already cooked and need reheating, so they must be piping hot before serving.

Following the package instructions when cooking haggis is crucial since different-sized Haggis require varied cooking times. Remove the outer packaging but not the tight casing for all cooking methods.

In the Oven

Preheat the oven to 170C Fan or 375F or Gas 5 and place the Haggis into a casserole pot. Add enough water to cover halfway, then place in a lidded container. Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes, topping up the water as necessary. Remove the skin before serving.

In a Pot

Place the Haggis in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. It’s important to cook it gently, or the skin will burst as steam pushes against it from the inside. The cooking time will vary according to size, but it would take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 and ½ hours.

Microwave

For this method, you must also remove the tight casing, as microwave cooking will create too much steam and burst the skin. It’s also advisable to cut the Haggis into manageable pieces so it heats through evenly. Cook on medium and stir halfway through cooking and then again before serving.

However you choose to cook your Haggis, don’t serve it with anything else but the traditional accompaniments. These are neeps & tatties and a creamy whisky sauce. Haggis may sound disgusting to some, but it’s uniquely Scottish and remains popular. It’s a dish worth trying, even if you think you won’t like it. Who knows, you might just be surprised.