Haggis#Modern use

{{Short description|Scottish savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Haggis

| image = Scotland Haggis.jpg

| image_size = 275px

| caption = Haggis displayed for sale

| alternate_name =

| place_of_origin = Scotland

| associated_cuisine = Scottish

| creator =

| type = Pudding

| served =

| main_ingredient = Sheep's heart, liver and lungs, and stomach (or sausage casing); onion, oatmeal, suet, spices

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

File:Haggis on a platter.jpg]]

File:Haggis, neeps and tatties.jpg

Haggis ({{langx|gd|taigeis}} {{IPA|gd|ˈtʰakʲɪʃ|}}) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with chopped onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now an artificial casing is often used instead. According to the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique: "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour".{{cite book | title = Larousse Gastronomique | last = Montagné | first = Prosper | page = 592 | year = 2001 }}

It is believed that food similar to haggis — perishable offal quickly cooked inside an animal's stomach, all conveniently available after a hunt — was eaten from ancient times.

Although the name "hagws" or "hagese" was first recorded in England c. 1430, the dish is considered traditionally of Scottish origin. It is even the national dish{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.org/experience-scotland/food-and-drink/|title=Food and Drink in Scotland – Scottish Cuisine|work=Scotland.org}} as a result of Scots poet Robert Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis" of 1786. Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties", boiled and mashed separately, and a dram (a glass of Scotch whisky), especially as the main course of a Burns supper.

History and etymology

= Scottish theory =

Haggis is popularly assumed to be of Scottish origin,{{OED|haggis}} First recorded as "hagws" "Now considered specially Scottish, but a popular dish in [early] English cookery" but many countries have produced similar dishes with different names. However, the recipes as known and standardised now are distinctly Scottish. The first known written recipes for a dish of the name, made with offal and herbs, are as "hagese", in the verse cookbook Liber Cure Cocorum dating from around 1430 in Lancashire, north west England,{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lcc/parallel.html#q120|title=Liber Cure Cocorum: Parallel Transcription/Translation|website=www.pbm.com}} and, as "hagws of a schepe"{{cite book|url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/CookBk?type=simple&rgn=full+text&q1=hagws&submit=Go|title=Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse|year=1999}} from an English cookbook also of c. 1430.

{{poemquote|

For hagese.

Þe hert of schepe, þe nere þou take,

Þo bowel noght þou shalle forsake,

On þe turbilen made, and boyled wele,

Hacke alle togeder with gode persole,

}}

The earlier (1390) book The Forme of Cury by Richard II's master cooks includes a dish of grated meat in a pig's caul, without using such a name.{{Cite newspaper|newspaper=The Times|date = 30 January 2023|title=Sorry Scotland but Haggis is an English Dish | at=p. 17, column e}}

The Scottish poem "Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy", which is dated before 1520 (the generally accepted date prior to the death of William Dunbar, one of the composers), refers to "haggeis".{{cite book|title=William Dunbar: Selected Poems|first=William|last=Dunbar|author2=Harriet Harvey Wood|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|isbn=0-415-96943-3|page=18}}

{{poemquote|

Thy fowll front had, and he that Bartilmo flaid;

The gallowis gaipis eftir thy graceles gruntill,

As thow wald for ane haggeis, hungry gled.

— William Dunbar, Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy

}}

An early printed recipe for haggis appears in 1615 in The English Huswife by Gervase Markham. It contains a section entitled "Skill in Oate meale":{{cite book | author-link = Gervase Markham| last = Markham | first = Gervase | title = The English House-wife, Containing the Inward and Outward Vertues Which Ought to Be in a Compleate Woman | url = https://archive.org/details/b30328068|edition=4| publisher = John Harison | page = [https://archive.org/details/b30328068/page/240 240] | year = 1631 }} "The use and vertues of these two severall kinds of Oate-meales in maintaining the Family, they are so many (according to the many customes of many Nations) that it is almost impossible to recken all"; and then proceeds to give a description of "oat-meale mixed with blood, and the Liver of either Sheepe, Calfe or Swine, maketh that pudding which is called the Haggas or Haggus, of whose goodnesse it is in vaine to boast, because there is hardly to be found a man that doth not affect them." (Gervase Markham, The English Huswife)

In her book The Haggis: A Little History, Dickson Wright suggests that haggis was invented as a way of cooking quick-spoiling offal near the site of a hunt, without the need to carry along an additional cooking vessel.{{cite book |last=Dickson Wright |first=Clarissa |author-link=Clarissa Dickson Wright |title=The Haggis: A Little History |publisher=Pelican Publishing Company |year=1998 |isbn=1-56554-364-5}} The liver and kidneys could be grilled directly over a fire, but this treatment was unsuitable for the stomach, intestines, or lungs. Chopping up the lungs and stuffing the stomach with them and whatever fillers might have been on hand, then boiling the assembly – probably in a vessel made from the animal's hide – was one way to make sure these parts were not wasted.

= Roman theory =

Food writer Alan Davidson suggests that the ancient Romans were the first known to have made products of the haggis type.{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-280681-5 }} Haggis was "born of necessity, as a way to utilize the least expensive cuts of meat and the innards as well".Andrew Zimmern

= Norse theory =

File:pölsa.jpg, a relative of haggis]]

Clarissa Dickson Wright says that it "came to Scotland in a longship [i.e., from Scandinavia] even before Scotland was a single nation".{{cite book | last = Barham | first = Andrea | title = The Pedant's Revolt: Why Most Things You Think Are Right Are Wrong | publisher = Michael O'Mara Books Ltd | year = 2005 | isbn = 1-84317-132-5 }} She cites etymologist Walter William Skeat as further suggestion of possible Scandinavian origins: Skeat claimed that the hag– element of the word is derived from {{langx|non|haggw}} or the Old Icelandic hoggva,[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-haggle.html The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, 1996]. Retrieved on 29 June 2009 meaning 'to hew → chop → hack',An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Page 309, Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon, George Webbe Dasent – 1874 same as in Modern Scots: hag, 'to hew' or strike with a sharp weapon, relating to the chopped-up contents of the dish.

The related Nordic variations of the root dish are traditionally called ”hew/chop-food”: {{langx|da|hakkemad}}, {{langx|no|hakkemat}}, {{langx|sv|hackmat}}, in modern Swedish renamed to pölsa.{{cite web |title=hackmat sbst. |url=https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=hackmat&pz=1#U_H1_20574 |website=saob.se |publisher=Swedish Academy |access-date=2025-04-07}}

Folklore

Image:Haggis scoticus.jpg Haggis scoticus, next to a prepared specimen, as displayed at the Glasgow Kelvingrove Gallery]]

In the absence of hard facts as to haggis' origins, popular folklore has provided some notions. One is that the dish originates from the days of the old Scottish cattle drovers. When the men left the Highlands to drive their cattle to market in Edinburgh, the women would prepare rations for them to eat during the long journey down through the glens. They used the ingredients that were most readily available in their homes and conveniently packaged them in a sheep's stomach allowing for easy transport during the journey. Other speculations have been based on Scottish slaughtering practices. When a chieftain or laird required an animal to be slaughtered for meat (whether sheep or cattle) the workmen were allowed to keep the offal as their share.

A joke sometimes maintained is that a haggis is a small Scottish animal with longer legs on one side, so that it can run around the steep hills of the Scottish highlands without falling over. According to one poll, 33 percent of American visitors to Scotland believed haggis to be an animal.[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/nov/27/travelnews.travel "American tourists believe Haggis is an animal"], guardian.co.uk, 2003-11-27.

Modern use

Image:Bob Purdie addressing haggis 20040124.jpg is an important part of the Burns supper.]]Haggis is traditionally served as part of the Burns supper on or near January 25, the birthday of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns. Burns wrote the poem "Address to a Haggis", which starts "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" In Burns's lifetime haggis was a common dish of the poor as it was nourishing yet very cheap, being made from leftover parts of sheep otherwise discarded.

Haggis is widely available in supermarkets in Scotland all year, with cheaper brands normally packed in artificial casings, rather than stomachs. Sometimes haggis is sold in tins or a container which can be cooked in a microwave or conventional oven. Some commercial haggis is largely made from pig, rather than sheep, offal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ramsayofcarluke.co.uk/products/traditional-ball-haggis-1kg/|title=Traditional Ball Haggis (1kg) – Ramsay of Carluke}} Kosher haggis, not only pork-free but fully conformant to Jewish dietary laws, is produced.{{Cite web|url=http://thejc.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx|title=The Jewish Chronicle ePaper|website=thejc.newspaperdirect.com|access-date=2015-02-03|archive-date=2021-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125035654/http://thejc.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx|url-status=dead}}

Haggis is often served in Scottish fast-food establishments, in the shape of a large sausage{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ode-haggis|title=A guide to haggis|work=BBC Good Food| quote =chip shop-friendly haggis sausages specially shaped for deep-frying}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2ItAgAAQBAJ&q=haggis+supper+shape&pg=PT175 |title=Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scotland the...|date=2013-12-13 |access-date=2016-04-20| quote =A popular chip-shop dish throughout Scotland is the haggis supper, which is a long haggis pudding, shaped like a sausage, served with chips. Some...serve the traditional large round haggis puddings though these tend to be too large for most appetites and some find them too spicy.|isbn=9781628732207|last1=Green|first1=Jonathan|publisher=Skyhorse }}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/you-don-t-have-to-be-scottish-to-enjoy-haggis-8467024.html|title=You don't have to be Scottish to enjoy haggis|author=Ian Irvine|date=25 January 2013|work=The Independent| quote =the haggis supper – haggis in the form of a substantial sausage coated in batter and deep-fried till crisp}} and deep fried in batter. Together with chips, this comprises a "haggis supper". A "haggis burger" is a patty of fried haggis served on a bun. A "haggis pakora" is another deep fried variant, available in some Indian restaurants in Scotland. Haggis can be used as an ingredient in other dishes, even pizza, rather than the main part of a dish.[http://www.heraldscotland.com/food-drink/celebrity-chefs/braised-beef-cheeks-with-haggis-crumble.1421938846 Herald Scotland: Braised Beef Cheeks with Haggis Crumble]. An example of the use of haggis as an ingredient{{Cite web|url=https://www.macsween.co.uk/us|title=Macsween | US|website=www.macsween.co.uk}}{{cite news|last=Ranscombe|first=Peter|title=Scots sell focaccia to Italy – and haggis pizzas to Burns revellers|url=http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/business/scots-sell-focaccia-to-italy-and-haggis-pizzas-to-burns-revellers-1-2070682|newspaper=Scotland on Sunday|date=2012-01-22}}

A traditional haggis recipe describes haggis as "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 boiled". Ingredients are sheep stomach, heart and lungs of one lamb, onions, oatmeal, salt, pepper, stock, and water, with optional ingredients dried coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It can be boiled, baked, or deep fried.{{Cite web|url=http://www.obanargyll.com/haggis-recipe.html|title=Haggis recipe & ingredients}}

In the north-east of Scotland, from Aberdeen northwards, in addition to the customary neeps and tatties, haggis is commonly served with mince.{{Cite episode|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dq47|station=BBC Radio Scotland|series=Out of Doors|title=A Robert Burns Special|credits=Presenters: Euan McIlwraith, Mark Stephen|date= 25 January 2020| minutes = 27:54}}

=Vegetarian=

Vegetarian haggis was first available commercially in 1984, and now can account for between 25% and 40% of haggis sales.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/best-vegetarian-vegan-haggis-burns-night-2020/|title=The best vegan and vegetarian haggis for Burns Night|first=Pip|last=Sloan|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=January 24, 2020|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/vegetarian-haggis-sales-soar-ahead-burns-night-147538|title=Vegetarian haggis sales soar ahead of Burns Night|website=www.scotsman.com}} It substitutes various pulses, nuts and vegetables for the meat. Oats and barley may be included as may different types of lentils, split peas, adzuki beans, kidney beans, borlotti beans, peanuts, other nuts and mushrooms, onions, and carrots.The Guardian (London) 22.01.2015 [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2015/jan/22/how-to-cook-perfect-vegetarian-haggis How to cook the perfect vegetarian haggis]

Outside Scotland

Haggis remains popular with Scottish immigrants in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, owing to the strong influence of Scottish culture, especially for Burns Suppers. It can be made in any country, but is sometimes imported from Scotland.{{cite web |title=World takes bigger bite out of Burns Night haggis |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/world-takes-bigger-bite-out-of-burns-night-haggis |website=GOV.UK |access-date=31 May 2025 |language=en}}

= Legality =

In 1971, it became illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lung, which constitutes 10–15% of the traditional recipe.{{cite news|title=US not ready to lift ban on Scottish haggis|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8480795.stm|work=BBC News|date=2010-01-26|access-date=2011-01-19}} The ban encompasses all lungs, as fluids such as stomach acid and phlegm may enter the lung during slaughter.{{Cite web | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-usda-doesnt-want-us-to-eat-lungs/ |title = The USDA Doesn't Want Us to Eat Lungs|date = 2014-07-03}} The situation was further complicated in 1989 when all UK beef and lamb was banned from importation to the US due to a BSE crisis. The ban on importing British lamb to the US was lifted in 2022 but the ban on food containing sheep lung remained in force.{{cite news|title=British lamb shipped to America for first time in over two decades|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-lamb-shipped-to-america-for-first-time-in-over-two-decades|date=2022-10-08|access-date=2024-04-11}}

As haggis cannot be exported to the United States, it is instead made there, sometimes by Scottish companies. In one such use, which is stated to be otherwise the same 150-year-old recipe having the same ingredients as in Scotland, sheep lung is not used and the casing is artificial rather than stomach.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottishhaggis.com/index.php/frequently-asked-questions/|title=Frequently Asked Questions – McKeans – Buy Scottish Haggis Online}}

References

;Notes

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070706200245/http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17236,00.html Alton Brown's Haggis Recipe]
[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/nov/27/travelnews.travel Belief in the Wild Haggis]
[http://www.scotland.org/culture/festivals/burns-night/burns-supper-guide/ How to cook the perfect Burns supper at scotland.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414110737/http://www.scotland.org/culture/festivals/burns-night/burns-supper-guide/ |date=2012-04-14 }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20100414004246/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/39042/haggis-hail-to-thee Haggis, Hail to Thee!]- slideshow by Life magazine
[https://www.foodsofengland.info/haggis.html Haggis at The Foods Of England]
{{YouTube|vIHQj4IDM7k|Address to a Haggis in French}}