Haggis - a famous Scottish delicacy
If you make it as far north as Scotland on your European tour, you must try that famous Scottish dish known as haggis. Haggis is sheep’s offal, basically heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, spices, suet, salt and stock, and this mixture is then traditionally stuffed into a sheep’s stomach, and the whole lot boiled for about an hour. I hope that this description has not put you off, because haggis is one of the most tasty things that I have ever eaten, and, despite the apparent amount of offal, is just as delicious as, say, lamb mince.
Haggis is traditionally served with mashed turnip and mashed potatoes, or, as the Scots charmingly call this, “neeps and tatties”. There is some debate in the UK as to what a turnip actually is, with those in the north of England, and in Scotland, referring to that delicate orange root vegetable, also known as a rutabaga, as a turnip, but people from the Midlands and the south of England ardently insisting that this is a swede.
Surprisingly, haggis is a little difficult to get hold of outside of Scotland, with no restaurant I know of in England serving it, and the supermarkets rarely stocking it, except around January 25th, which is Burns Night. However, happily, you can be served excellent haggis with neeps and tatties in many Scottish pubs and restaurants – so make the most of it while you can.
Haggis is often enjoyed with a little Scotch Whisky, especially if it is eaten on Burns Night.
