What is haggis?
Haggis is the emblematic recipe of Scottish cuisine and probably the national dish of Scotland.
It consists of a sheep’s stomach (or sometimes artificial casing) that is stuffed with sheep’s pluck (liver, heart, lungs), suet and kidneys. The haggis ingredients are then spiced and seasoned with coriander, mace, black pepper and onion. Oatmeal is also added as a binder. The belly is then sewn and cooked. It is served with mashed potatoes or rutabagas.
How to make haggis
Scottish haggis requires some preparatory steps like cleaning the stomach. To do this, it must be washed several times in water and gently scraped and then soaked in salted water. It is also necessary to blanch the sheep’s pluck with salted boiling water and bake them for two hours.
Everything must be chopped finely, and mixed with onions, oatmeal and spices to obtain a soft mass. This mass must be kneaded five minutes before it is used to stuff the stomach. It must be filled to two thirds to prevent it from bursting during cooking. The cooking is done in boiling water for three and a half hours.
What is the origin of haggis?
The origin of haggis dates back to the eighteenth century, when this dish was prized and considered refined by the nobility of the country. The word haggis comes from the Middle English that was spoken between 1066 and 1470. It could mean “chopped” or “cut”. It could also come from old English haggen or French hachis. You will also find two Icelandic words that are quite close: hoggva and haggw.
Today, the stomach is almost never used. Instead, a synthetic stomach is used, as the animal stomach is often considered unfit for consumption and difficult to store.
In Homer’s Odyssey, there is a mention of a dish that seems close to haggis: “a man before a great blazing fire turning swiftly this way and that a stomach full of fat and blood, very eager to have it roasted quickly”
If the origin of the haggis is uncertain, some culinary historians such as Clarissa Dickson-Wright nevertheless say that it would be a “transportable” dish during transhumance.
Every January 25, the Scots celebrate the Burns Night in memory of the poet Robert Burns. It is customary to enjoy haggis that night. It is also thrown in the Highlands during the summer games. To date, the record is set at 66 meters.
Haggis is also surrounded by legends as is often the case in Scotland, a land of mysteries. Some speak of a wild haggis, a bird-like Highland creature with a variable number of legs. The largest known wild animals were captured in 1893 and reportedly weighed 25 tons.
Another legend reports that the cry of the wild haggis is at the origin of the bagpipe. It was invented in order to lure and capture the animal.
What are the other versions?
If the traditional recipe is prepared with mutton offal, it can also be prepared with pork and beef. Some Scottish restaurants even offer a vegetarian haggis. The recipe for vegetarian haggis typically includes lentils, oats, bran or even wheat.
Recently, some restaurants have offered a royal haggis accompanied by a whiskey sauce.
In the Maghreb and Libya, there are dishes similar to traditional Scottish haggis such as bakbouka, osbane or mjabna. These versions are often very tasty and accompanied by local vegetables such as cardoons, zucchini, chickpeas, turnips, tomatoes and onions.
Haggis is often disparaged and misunderstood around the world, often mocked and considered inedible. It has only been exported to the United States where the Scottish community is important. The difficulty of the haggis recipe preparation is probably responsible for its lack of success. This explains the why there are now versions of canned haggis. However, it remains probably the most traditional Scottish food.
Haggis (National Dish of Scotland)
Ingredients
- 1 sheep's stomach
- ¼ lb suet
- 2 lb sheep's pluck (liver, heart and lungs)
- ½ lb lamb kidney
- 3 onions , peeled
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon mace
- 1 lb oatmeal
- Salt
- Black pepper , freshly ground
Instructions
- Wash the sheep's stomach carefully, flip it over and gently scratch the inside.
- Soak for 8 hours in cold salted water.
- Wash the sheep's liver, heart, lungs, kidney and fat, immerse in salted boiling water and cook slowly, covered, for 2 hours.
- Drain everything, remove all the cartilage and trachea, then chop finely with a knife or chopper.
- Blanch the onions in a large pot with boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Reserve the cooking water. Drain and chop the drained onions.
- In a skillet, roast the oatmeal on low heat to make it crisp.
- Then mix all the ingredients of the recipe by gradually binding with a little reserved cooking water from the onions. The mixture must be somewhat firm.
- Knead by hand for 5 minutes.
- Introduce the stuffing into the sheep's stomach to fill about ⅔.
- Remove the air and tie in the middle.
- Pierce the stomach several times using a thin needle so that it does not open or burst during cooking.
- Cook covered and over low heat for 3 hours 30 minutes in a large pot of boiling water.
- Remove the strings.
- To serve, open the hot stomach, remove the stuffing, serve on the plates accompanied by mashed potatoes and/or rutabagas sprinkled with chopped parsley and black pepper, and with rustic bread.
Esther and Morgan are the two foodies behind Renards Gourmets. They are based in Paris where they develop four-handed recipes and culinary photos.
Mark says
I had haggis for the first time last year in Edinburg and I loved it. I need to try this recipe
Bill Burns says
Problem getting haggis this year as normally go to Scotland at new year and bring home. Luckily our local Chesterfield butcher has got them in for Burns night so well happy and can’t wait. Love it
Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramirez says
Av been marooned on Mallorca since this Covid BS began… and tomorrow, am gonna let me German lass eat it for the first time…. I was up bright n early this mornin and went to the Tramuntana foothills and managed to hunt down 2!! They were wee tricky buggers.. but I got em!!! Got em both hanging in the kitchen now for tomorrow’s feast….
Jim D says
Still hanging?
vinni says
livin in the states in Wyoming, I’m privy to sheep offal. On this 7 November2021 ,Im a pot of offal simmerin and oats are toasted. Spices are mixed. in a few hours Ill grind, mix and stuff. I freeze and take out what I need now and again.
Hands Doing Things says
Hey Vinni! Must have turned out amazing 🙂
Thanks for your comment! Let us know!
Gary says
I have been making my own Haggis for about twelve years and the family and friends are always aking when the next batch is ready, I have got the taste now about right. As a young man Hagis was always brought back from Inverness as my mother-in-law and father-in-law were from around that area we have a few scottish butchers here but im afraid we like the one i make
Hands Doing Things says
Thank you for sharing this Gary!
Let us know if you try our recipe. We love haggis as well!
eneurian erwin says
good recipe, very close to real Scottish haggis on whch i was raised. it is very expensive in the US to get sheeps offal. i make fake haggis with beef mince and all the rest. cook it in a cheese clout with a plate on top to keep it submerged,
Hands Doing Things says
This is such a good tip! Thanks for sharing! We love haggis as well.
Alan Rowan says
Great stuff ! (Or stuffing !!)
Here in Scotland The Haggis is always served with ‘Neeps’, which is a type of turnip, often called Swede, that’s mashed. It’s essential, because the juiciness of the neeps goes well with the relative dryness of the Haggis. As a school boy we had it once a week for school dinners in my hometown of Dumfries and it was so good ! Readers from around the world will be disappointed to know that in Scotland it’s becoming very difficult to get a ‘traditional’ Haggis, which is of course the best. Now we have Haggis that’s made of all kinds of offal, e.g pig’s. Also I saw one which was just lamb’s lungs and beef suet plus oatmeal of course ! Why is it that nothing ever changes for the better ?