Haggis, Neeps & Tatties?

Question

Can you eat it?

Answer 1

YUP!

Haggis
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an uncooked small haggisHaggis 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. As the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique puts it, "[a]lthough its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour." (p592)

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.

It is often asserted (eg. on the packaging of MacSween's haggis) that the dish is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: swede and potatoes; these are boiled and mashed separately) and a "dram" (ie. a glass of Scotch whisky). However, it might perhaps be more accurate to describe this as the traditional main course of a Burns supper, since on other occasions haggis may be eaten with other accompaniments. Whisky sauce (made from thickened stock and Scotch whisky) has recently been developed as an elegant addition.

Contents [hide]
1 History and popularity
2 Modern usage
3 Drinks with Haggis
4 Odd facts and pop culture
5 Entertainment
6 Similar dishes
7 References
8 See also
9 External links



[edit] History and popularity
It's unknown who discovered and prepared this for the first time, why they did so, or where this took place.

The haggis is frequently assumed to be Scottish in origin, though there is little evidence for this. It has been speculated 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 transportation during the journey. Other speculations have been based on Scottish slaughtering practices. When a Chieftan 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.

Another theory, put forward by food historian Clarissa Dickson-Wright, is 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. 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 — likely in a vessel made from the animal's hide — was one way to make sure these parts did not go to waste. (Dickson-Wright 12).

It should be noted that Dickson-Wright refutes the assumption of a Scottish origin for haggis, claiming that it 'came to Scotland in a longboat [ie. from Scandinavia] even before Scotland was a single nation.' (quoted in Barham 2005:54) Whatever its historical origins, however, the haggis is now firmly established as a symbol of Scottishness, probably due in large part to its having been apostrophised in the most glowing terms by Scotland's national poet (see below).


[edit] Modern usage

Recitation of the poem 'Address to a Haggis' by Robert Burns is an important part of the Burns supper.Haggis is traditionally served with the Burns supper on the week of January 25th, when Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, is commemorated. He wrote the poem Address to a Haggis, which starts "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" During Burns's lifetime haggis was a popular dish for the poor, as it was very cheap, being made from leftover, otherwise thrown away, parts of a sheep (the most common livestock in Scotland), yet nourishing.

Haggis is widely available in supermarkets in Scotland (and in some parts of England) all the year round, and the cheaper brands are normally packed in artificial casings, rather than stomachs, just as the cheaper brands of sausages are no longer stuffed into animal intestines. Sometimes it is sold in tins and you can simply microwave it or oven-bake it. Some supermarket haggis is largely made from pig, rather than sheep, offal.

Haggis is one of several foods (eg. pizza) that Scottish fish and chip shops serve 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, and a "haggis baji" is another deep fried variant, available in some Indian restaurants in Glasgow. It has been reported that Pizza Express chain will be adding haggis as a pizza topping. Higher class restaurants sometimes serve chicken breast stuffed with haggis; haggis can also be used as a substitute for minced beef in various recipes.

Since the 1960s various Scottish shops and manufacturers have created vegetarian haggis for those who do not eat meat. These substitute various pulses and vegetables for the meat in the dish. Since both the offal-based and the vegetarian haggis have wide variations in flavour depending on the recipe used, it would be difficult to demonstrate that the two varieties do or do not taste alike.


[edit] Drinks with Haggis
As noted above, Scotch Whisky is often asserted to be the traditional accompaniment for haggis, though this may simply be because both are traditionally served at a Burns supper. Warren Edwardes of Wine for Spice notes that haggis is spicy and therefore recommends refreshing semi-sparkling wines to drink with haggis with increasing level of sweetness depending in the spiciness of the haggis: whisky, with its high alcohol level, can exaggerate spice rather than complement it. [1]. Since fish and chip shops sell large amounts of haggis but do not serve alcohol, it can be assumed that that haggis is frequently eaten in Scotland with the accompaniment of neither wine nor whisky.


[edit] Odd facts and pop culture

A large haggis.Because food safety laws in some countries outlaw some of the ingredients in haggis (for example, United States law forbids the sale of any animal's lungs for human consumption), expatriate Scots and Scots descendants overseas have been known to engage in 'haggis smuggling' to obtain true Scottish haggis. At least one American company produces haggis for the U.S. market. The Caledonian Kitchen, a Dallas, Texas,-based gourmet business, began producing both a Highland beef and vegetarian haggis commercially in 1999. Its haggis is in wide distribution throughout the U.S.


[edit] Entertainment

A haggis on a Rabbie Burns plate.
A fictional Wild Haggis, Haggis scoticus, next to a prepared specimen, as displayed at the Glasgow Kelvingrove Gallery.Haggis is an amusing subject for many people. Those who ask a Scotsman about it rarely get a straight answer. A common reply to the question "What is a haggis?" often goes along the following lines. "A haggis is a small four-legged Scottish Highland creature, which has the limbs on one side shorter than the other side. This means that it is well adapted to run around the hills at a steady altitude, without either ascending or descending. However a haggis can easily be caught by running around the hill in the opposite direction." (see Wild Haggis) Surprisingly, this humorous myth is believed by many tourists, and thus they are shocked — and possibly disappointed — to hear the truth. See also sidehill gouger.

Many tourists are also duped (or nearly duped) by Scottish pranksters attempting to lead them on a 'Wild Haggis Hunt'. The Scotsman newspaper's web site runs an annual Haggis Hunt [2].

Haggis is also used in a sport called haggis hurling, throwing a haggis as far as possible. The present World Record for Haggis Hurling has been held by Alan Pettigrew for over 21 years. He threw a 1.5 lb Haggis an astonishing 180 feet, 10 inches on the island of Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond, in August 1984.

Haggis juggling is an unusual competition that takes place at the Scottish Juggling Convention each year, with competitors competing for how long they can juggle three, four, or five large haggis.

'Haggis' is an uncommon surname, such as for the screen writer Paul Haggis, known for his work on Million Dollar Baby, Due South, Thirtysomething, and other film and television series. In names it may come from Old English, meaning 'a woodsman's hut', and a Lord Haggis rode on the third crusade with Richard the Lionheart.

A popular internet joke about haggis marketing discusses some failed attempts to make Haggis more popular. Other fun failed haggis marketing sites have since sprung up.

Following his victory in The Masters golf tournament in 1988, Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle chose to serve Haggis at the annual Champions Dinner before the 1989 Masters.[1] It is widely considered amongst Masters champions to be one of the most unpopular selections ever served at the event.

Haggis is also the stage name of comedian Tom Downs.

Haggis has also been made fun of many times in film and television. In So I Married an Axe Murderer, Mike Myers's character says he believes that "most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare."

In Armageddon, during the NASA space readiness exam, one of the minor characters names haggis as his favorite type of food. He then proceeds to list all of the ingredients and how they are arranged. In closing, he turns to the NASA examiner and says, "That'll put some hair on your ***."

In Highlander, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) calls Ramírez (Sean Connery) a "stupid haggis" and then proceeds to explain its ingredients and preparation. Ramirez is disgusted by this description.

In an episode of The Simpsons, Groundskeeper Willie is seen selling haggis at a completely empty booth. He calls out, "Get your haggis, right here! Chopped heart and lungs boiled in a wee sheep's stomach! Tastes as good as it sounds. Good for what ails ya!"

The Ren & Stimpy Show featured a Scottish character named Haggis McHaggis, voiced by Alan Young.

The main character in the 2004 version of The Bard's Tale must fight a beast called a "Haggis Monster". The monster is made of discarded parts of animal carcasses that were buried in a ditch and then brought back to life by magic.

In an episode of Earthworm Jim, when Jim's suit malfunctions from a loss of power, Jim and Peter Puppy hide in a restaurant that serves haggis. Peter is eating haggis and likes it. However, when he asks why no one ever comes to the restaurant, Jim tells him "because haggis is made from the heart, lungs and liver of a sheep boiled in its own stomach," and he is immediately disgusted. As a result, Peter's greatest fear is a Scottish chef and he now cannot eat haggis without getting sick, though he has been tricked into eating it on numerous occasions.

One character in The Curse of Monkey Island is named Haggis McMutton. He states that it's just a nickname, and that his real name is Heart, Liver And Kidneys Boiled In The Stomach Of The Animal McMutton. When asked if his parents had been expecting a girl, he replies, "Aye."

For a time, the celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys employed a bagpipe player, dressed onstage in full Scottish regalia and going by the name of Spicy McHaggis.


[edit] Similar dishes
In some ways, the northeastern United States dish scrapple resembles haggis, however scrapple differs in the following ways: it uses pig offal instead of sheep offal and cornmeal instead of oatmeal; it is a meatloaf rather than a sausage; and it is baked instead of being boiled. As a result, the appearance and the flavour vary significantly. So the resemblance lies more in the fact that it is a combination of offal, grain and vegetables than in any specific ingredient or cooking style.

Other similar dishes include:

Hogs Pudding or Groats Pudding from Devon & Cornwall containing oats and spiced pork offal
Drob from Romania, made from sheep's organs, mixed with spices and herbs and wrapped in the sheep's stomach (or rarely, in a thin dough), prepared especially for Easter
Balkenbrij from the Netherlands
Pölsa from Sweden, made from beef
Saumagen from Western Germany, made with pork
Slátur, an Icelandic cooked sheep's stomachs filled with blood, fat, and liver
Švargl in Croatia and Serbia, made from pork
Boudin, an Acadian/Cajun sausage made with pork offal and rice
Bopis from the Philippines, made from pork minus the casing
Montalayo from Mexico, which is prepared from sheep or goat offal in a manner very similar to haggis
Chireta from Aragonese valleys of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, and Girella from Catalan valley of Pallars, both made by boiling inside sheep intestines a mixture of rice and sheep offal, mainly lungs and heart
Camaïot, a Balearic Islands sausage related to sobrassada made from pork offal, coarsely minced, and boiled into pork skin from the leg
Bahur, Bulgarian sausage made from rice and pork liver and heart
Kishka, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish kosher dish consisting of a mixture of meal,meat and spices stuffed in a beef intestine or a sewn pocket made of poultry neck skin
Kaszanka from Poland, closely resembling haggis despite its very different ingredients of buckwheat and pig's blood

[edit] References
Dickson Wright, Clarissa (1998). The Haggis: A Little History. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 1-56554-364-5.
Barham, Andrea (2005). The Pedant's Revolt: Why Most Things You Think Are Right Are Wrong. Michael O'Mara Books Ltd. ISBN 1-84317-132-5.

[edit] See also
Saumagen
Haggis McLeod
Haggis is the name of the witch that conjures the demon "Pumpkinhead" in the 1988 horror movie Pumpkinhead

[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
HaggisWikibooks has a book on the topic of
Cookbook:HaggisWikisource has original text related to this article:
Address to a HaggisHaggis Recipe
Belief in the Wild Haggis
Hunting for haggis
Haggis Hurl
The haggis song by Peter Sellers (Captain Beaky Vol 1)
Wine with Haggis
Haggis on Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern

Answer 2

Yes especially on Burns Night. Traditional Scottish Burns Night Supper with a wee Dram of course.

Personally I just like the Neeps and Tatties (Swede/turnip and Potatoes) but not the Haggis.

This Burns Night Supper is traditionally piped into the celebrations by a piper dressed in full Scottish regalia. It is presented on a big oval platter with the Haggis in the middle surrounded with mashed tatties and mashed neeps.

Some folk also like skirley served with it...that is cooked oatmeal.

Answer 3

Can I eat it? I love it! I tried it first when I visited Schotland a couple summers ago, and I ate it every day I was there (I was only there for a short while, I'd go for a more balanced diet if it'd been longer, but I'd sure keep eating it regularly if I lived there :)). Here in the Netherlands it's hard to find but I know one specialty store with British import food that sells frozen haggis. I bought it a few times afterwards, should get it again some day soon.

Answer 4

i like the neeps and tatties but Ive never fancied haggis

Answer 5

Nope! Haggis is awful, though I am a vegetarian! My Hubby loves it, and I do usually cook it for burns night. I have a veggie white pudding instead. You canna go wrong with mashed neeps and tatties though - so long as they're creamy enough and cooked properly!

Answer 6

Hands up i have not tried haggis!!
And i don't know what neeps are????
And I'm from an Irish family so yeah i love spuds!!

Sorry!!

Just a thought is neeps ..swede?...i like swede?

Answer 7

Of course but then again I'm from Scotland...actually, i friggin hate haggis but the neeps and tatties are tastey :)

Answer 8

i know what haggis is, and eww no.
neeps and tatties, well havent eaten rutebega, but maybe the potatoes i would.
the whole meal no, unless i could get the vegitarian one. lol

Answer 9

No not for me,I have tried haggis but i did not like it.

Answer 10

I don't like haggis, and yesh, i'm Scottish but i've only had it about twice, i think in my life...

Answer 11

I can eat the tatties ;)