Haggis is a special dish for my family and as my last name might suggest I am very Scottish. My family has definitely connected with our Scottish heritage in that my brother is a professional bagpiper and I was a competitive highland dancer for many years. We often went to highland games and traveled over to Scotland for my brother’s pipe band championships over a dozen times.
Haggis
https://www.britannica.com/topic/haggis
Haggis is something people will eat all year round, but there is usually a special day when we plan to eat it. My family really only had haggis once a year as it is a task to make, and this is Robert Burns Day. Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist and there is usually a day set around his birthday, January 25, where we come together to celebrate his life and poetry. Robbie Burns night was often a big celebration for the pipe band and for the dancers where we would have a traditional Scottish meal and then put on a performance for our family and friends. Haggis was the main course for this meal, and I would always mix the haggis up with gravy and neeps and tatties. It still makes my mouth water thinking about it and I have to say it is something I look forward to every year.
Robert Burns
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Burns
Haggis is actually believed not to have originated in Scotland and there is a great debate on where the dish might have come from. Some say ancient Greece or Rome and others think England or Scandinavia. The truth of haggis’ beginnings is a bit of a mystery, but we do know that the dish became known as distinctly Scottish around the 18th century. The real craze for haggis becoming the national dish of Scotland can be traced back to when King George IV made a grand visit to Scotland in 1822. There was a banquet thrown in his honor and there was a real need to reflect Scottish identity in the clothing and the food, so they wore tartan and ate haggis among other Scottish dishes. Haggis became the star attraction and by the late 19th century haggis was recognized as the national dish of Scotland.
‘Grand Burns’ Festival by John Leech, 1859
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-haggis
What is haggis exactly? Well, some of you might be turned off by the answer. It’s a savory dish that contains sheep’s pluck which is essentially the heart, liver, and lungs of the sheep. The pluck is usually mixed with beef or mutton suet, oatmeal, onion, and spices then packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled. Nowadays though the mixture is often just put in a sausage casing rather than a stomach. Also depending on the type, you make or buy it can be boiled, fried, or baked. The haggis is usually served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed turnips or swede (neeps). The proper way to serve the meal is to have all the elements separate on the plate and not to mix them but I, still acting like a child, like to mix it up all together. It might not sound appetizing, but I assure you it tastes better than it sounds.
Haggis, neeps, and tatties
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/haggis-neeps-tatties
Haggis is inexpensive and pretty nourishing making it popular with most people in Scotland now and in the past. Even though it might not be too popular with people not familiar with eating it, the people that have experience eating it usually really like it. Haggis is more than just a food for many people, it is a symbol of national identity that connects us back to our Scottish roots.
Bibliography
Daiches, David. “Robert Burns.” Encyclopedia Britannica. March 3, 2023.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Burns
Innes, Owen. “Episode 40 – Haggis.” The Scottish History Podcast. January 25, 2021.
Johnson, Ben. “Haggis, national dish of Scotland.” Historic UK, Accessed April 1, 2023.
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Haggis-Scotlands-National-dish/
Lee, Alexander. “A History of Haggis.” History Today, Volume 69 Issue 12 December 2019. Accessed April 1, 2023.
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-haggis
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Haggis.” Encyclopedia Britannica. September 9, 2022.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/haggis
Bibliography Daiches, David. “Robert Burns.” Encyclopedia Britannica. March 3, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Burns Innes, Owen. “Episode 40 - Haggis.” The Scottish History Podcast. January 25, 2021. https://open.spotify.com/show/20MAWRStTp3MIBEQd9nCJp Johnson, Ben. “Haggis, national dish of Scotland.” Historic UK, Accessed April 1, 2023. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Haggis-Scotlands-National-dish/ Lee, Alexander. “A History of Haggis.” History Today, Volume 69 Issue 12 December 2019. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-haggis The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Haggis.” Encyclopedia Britannica. September 9, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/haggis
