Haggis!

[RectaPete]

So, I finally bit the bullet and tried haggis.

And it tasted much better than it sounds. It had a meaty, spicy taste to it and went well with crackers! Texturewise it was a little like mincemeat but tougher. Could make a good chilli or bolognese with it! I am converted! And this is coming from someone who 99% of the time despises organ meats with every fibre of her being.

So, feel free to discuss haggis here. Do you love it? Hate it? Ever seen one in the wild?

[freep]

I think it's brilliant.

I had battered and deep fried haggis croquettes in a pub in Glasgow, a haggis and mozarella panini in Oban and haggis neaps and tatties in the canteen at Stirling Castle. I found that if you want everyone in the Vida Pura Cafe in Oban to stare at you, pull your wee bottle of Louisiana hot sauce out of your backpack and squirt a bit on your haggis panini. The woman at the table next to me said, "Is tha' hot sauce?" I said yes but wish I'd had the presence of mind to say, "Aye." She said, "Air ye mad?"

I've had it at the Aztec NM Gathering, it was pretty good even though I think it was canned. I had some last weekend at the Moab UT gathering, when asked I was told it was made by the BYU Catering department. Canned haggis is available from The Celtic Croft (kilts-n-stuff.com/tartan/premium-wool/) They've a couple varieties, I've tried the Caladonian Kitchen and it's good, I have a can of that and the Hardcore Haggis I've not yet tried.

I'm thinking about going to the local health food store/butcher and seeing can they whip some up. How hard could it be? What could possibly go wrong?

Cheers!

[The Q]

I used to have haggis at school ( in Inverness) since then it's not been often, Once steak topped with haggis at a hotel in Ullapool. Other than that burns night only. SWMBO won't go near it so It's not often I can get Haggis at home. I can get Haggis fairly locally in Norfolk as they have exported it to Scotland and The Black Watch!!

www.rutland-butchers.co.uk/haggis.php
http://news.stv.tv/north/38462-jura-...-from-norfolk/

[neloon]

Steps are being taken to make haggis acceptable in the US
http://www.thenational.scot/news/hag...heep-lung.9804
Or you can go with vegetarian haggis as many Scots do.
Alan

[freep]

I've often wondered, well, a couple things. . .

The haggis croquettes I had in Glasgow were very, very round and very, very uniform and of a very, very recognizable size. . . was it canned haggis?

Granted there was several months between tasting but the US made, that is to say lung-less, canned haggis I got over here tasted an awfully lot like that Scottish haggis so how important is the addition of lungs generally?

Is the US Ag. Dept.'s issue with lungs generally or just Scottish lungs? If that latter why not make er, lung-ed US haggis?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Profane James]

I don't know how it compares, but these guys have had theirs available for quite some time - I get my sea salt from them...

http://www.scottishgourmetusa.com/ca...s-for-sale-usa

[IsaacW]

Is the US Ag. Dept.'s issue with lungs generally or just Scottish lungs? If that latter why not make er, lung-ed US haggis?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I believe it is with lungs in general.

This all said, I make my own and can put into it whatever I want. YUM!!!

[Arnot]

I like it. I get mine from Brown's the Butcher in Chorley, Lancashire.

[tpa]

Or you can go with vegetarian haggis as many Scots do.
Alan

Vegetarian haggis? Don't all hagii eat vegetables whilst running round the hillsides?

[tundramanq]

The US ban is on all lung in food regardless of the origin of the lung.
Yes, they are talking about lifting the ban currently.
Lung, cooked properly is not hazardous even if some stomach contents get into them in slaughtering the animal.

Oddly, the FDA never had a problem with intestines that are full of the same stuff.