What exactly is haggis?

Question

Went to Scotland yesterday.
Had a lovely breakfast in the hotel
but when i lifted up the lid that included haggis
i just had to put it right back down again quickly.
What the hell was that?

Sorry....no way could i have tasted that.
And now.......well...no way will i ever....
thanks all!

Answer 1

you take a sheeps stomach in which you put oats, blood, liver, heart, lungs, suet and spices and cook.
you should try it. very tasty and healthy.
puts hairs on your chest.

Answer 2

As a Scot, I think they are quite tasty; all this rubbish about an aquired taste is exactly that, it's as much an aquired taste as McDonalds, and it contains much better ingredients...


Basically, a haggis is;

Oatmeal
Beef suet
Sheep heart, lungs + liver
Onion
A secret mix of herbs 'n' spices ;)

mashed together and stuffed inside a sheeps stomach, which is then tied and boiled for a wee while.


Of course, you get them stuffed in plastic with the stomach mashed in nowadays, but i can assure you it is 100% edible. Although you should maybe not eat the ties at the end...


I strongly suggest you try some next time. And next time you're in Scotland, get some Irn Bru. It has NO equivalent anywhere else. Pure sugary orange artificial good- (cough) -ness!

Answer 3

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish. Although there are many recipes, it is normally made with the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately an hour. It somewhat resembles stuffed intestines (pig intestines otherwise known as chitterlings), sausages and savoury puddings of which it is among the largest types.

Most modern commercial haggis outside of Scotland is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes specifically for vegetarians which are designed to taste similar to the meat-based recipes.

Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: turnip and potatoes), each of these being mashed, separately. (The "neep" is the yellow vegetable — Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica — called 'swede' in southern England and 'rutabaga' in North America.)

Answer 4

Ussually haggis is grains (oats) and sheep parts minced up with herbs and seasonings then boiled in a sheep stomach. Believe me, it's an acquired taste. The traditional dish of Scotland. Think of it as the scottish version of a hot dog.

Answer 5

It says on the link below that traditional haggis recipe is as below:
Traditional Haggis (from Evelyn Hlabse, [e-mail])
1 sheep's pluck (stomach bag)
2 lb.. dry oatmeal
1 lb. suet
1 lb. lamb's liver
2 1/2 cups stock
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, Jamaica pepper and salt
Boil liver and parboil the onion, then mince them together. Lightly brown the oatmeal. Mix all ingredients together. Fill the sheep's pluck with the mixture pressing it down to remove all the air, and sew up securely. Prick the haggis in several places so that it does not burst. Place haggis in boiling water and boil slowly for 4-5 hours. Serves approximately 12.

Sounds lovely - what was your problem? :)

Answer 6

Ask a Scot what a haggis is and they will always tell you it is a three legged bird you shoot with an elephant gun... in truth it was traditionally made from a sheep's stomach stuffed with a mixture of offal, oats, barley and spices.

Modern haggis usually has a manufactured skin, much like many of the modern sausages; which originally had a skin made from intestine.

I live in Cumbria and we can still get proper sausage with a proper skin - (and it doesn't split like the modern plastic rubbish does.)

Answer 7

traditional haggis is made with sheep's offal not just liver as people have mentioned
1 sheep's stomach bag
1 sheep's pluck - liver, lungs and heart
3 onions
250g beef Suet
150g oatmeal
salt and black pepper
a pinch of cayenne
150mls of stock/gravy

It taste great
If the idea of this puts you off you should look up the ingredients in sausages or hamburgers

Answer 8

Soul food.
1 sheep's pluck (stomach bag)
2 lb.. dry oatmeal
1 lb. suet
1 lb. lamb's liver
2 1/2 cups stock
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, Jamaica pepper and salt
Boil liver and parboil the onion, then mince them together. Lightly brown the oatmeal. Mix all ingredients together. Fill the sheep's pluck with the mixture pressing it down to remove all the air, and sew up securely. Prick the haggis in several places so that it does not burst. Place haggis in boiling water and boil slowly for 4-5 hours. Serves approximately 12.

Answer 9

Haggis is the traditional dish of Scotland. It contains heart, lungs and lungs ground up with spices, suet and oats then placed into the animal's stomach casing and boiled. I cheat and use ground turkey, but at my Robbie Burns Dinner it is a hit!

Answer 10

Its what they eat (Scotch people) eat as part of a well balanced diet
Porridge, haggis and fried mars bars. washed down with firewater.
It is said to inhibit the ability to play football
When you say you lifted the lid, was it a dust bin
Calm down, just joking, playful banter, plenty of good things come from Scotland, like the road to England, oil and gas.

Answer 11

Hm. Its the liver, lungs & heart of a sheep all minced together and put into a sheeps stomach. Some people find it tasty.. But personally i'd never try it!