Address to a haggis
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they strech an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethanket!' hums.
Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bluidy flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An' legs, an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.
Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o'fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!
Robert Burns
Haggis
What is haggis? A question that is probably best left unanswered.I love it as does my 25,27 year old sons we have been brought up with it but dont think of whats in it just try,
it you will be surprised
What is in it?
How is it served?
If there is one dish that is immediately identified as being Scottish then it must be haggis and yet it would be more correct to call it a British dish. The English made haggis well into the 18th century before abandoning the dish, the Scots quite wisely continued to make haggis (it is excellent to eat, nourishing and uses up the last odds and ends of the animal) and it survives to the present day as a popular dish.
Although butcher's shops and supermarkets are filled to overflowing with haggis on Burns Night (25th January - the anniversary of Robert Burns birth) and St. Andrew's Day (30th November) there is no difficulty in obtaining haggis all year round. It is even available in the traditional fish & chip shops in Scotland, as a thick sausage shape and deep-fried.
A traditional recipe
Before we describe what haggis is it is best if we stress that haggis tastes wonderful because if you knew what went into it you would probably never eat it!
If you cannot buy a haggis locally or if you just fancy making one then here is a traditional recipe Most butchers base their own recipes on this one, although each individual's haggis will be different. Some will be smooth, rough, spicy, herby, strong or mild. As well as the usual sheep's haggis one can make sweet, venison or vegetarian haggis, the scope for variation is almost endless. As a result of the diversity of the possible recipes an annual competition is held to find the finest butcher's haggis in the country. Whatever the precise details of the recipe the resulting haggis ought to be moist and firm, never dry and crumbly nor should the meat consist of tough gristly bits.
Ingredients
1 sheep's pluck. i.e. the animals heart, liver, and lights (lungs).
Cold water.
1 sheep's stomach.
1lb lightly toasted pinhead oatmeal (medium or coarse oatmeal).
1-2 tablespoons salt.
1 level tablespoon freshly ground black pepper.
1 tablespoon freshly ground allspice.
1 level tablespoon of mixed herbs.
8oz finely chopped suet.
4 large onions, finely chopped.
(lemon juice (or a good vinegar) is sometimes added as well as other flavourings such as cayenne pepper)
Directions
Wash the stomach in cold water until it is thoroughly clean and then soak it in cold salted water for about 8-10 hours.
Place the pluck in a large pot and cover with cold water. The windpipe ought to be hung over the side of the pot with a container beneath it in order to collect any drips. Gently simmer the pluck for approximately 2 hours or until it is tender and then leave the pluck to cool.
Finely chop or mince the pluck meat and then mix it with the oatmeal. Add about half a pint of the liquor in which the pluck was cooked (or use a good stock). Add the seasonings, suet and onions, ensuring everything is well mixed.
Fill the stomach with the mixture, leaving enough room for the oatmeal to expand into. Press out the air and then sew up the haggis. Prick the haggis a few times with a fine needle. Place the haggis it in boiling water and simmer for approximately 3 hours.
Serving your haggis
Haggis is traditionally served as "haggis, neeps and tatties".
The neeps are mashed turnip or swede, with a little milk and allspice added, whereas the tatties are creamed potatoes flavoured with a little nutmeg. To add that authentic touch consume your haggis, neeps and tatties with a dram of good whisky (it goes down the throat not onto the haggis).
