All hail the haggis
Let’s join the Burns Night celebrations
AFRIEND of mine has always believed the haggis to be a small animal that roams the Scottish Highlands, frolicking in the heather. Apparently, the wild haggis’s left legs are longer than its right legs, allowing it to run quickly around steep mountains and hillsides.
My dad loves haggis but as a child I was always wary, not because I believed it was a cute and furry Scottish animal, but due the fact it is traditionally cooked in a sheep’s stomach.
One Scotsman who has helped to propel the humble haggis to stardom is poet Robert Burns.
It was one of Robert’s favourite dishes and, in 1787, he wrote Address to a Haggis, an entire poem dedicated to the ‘great chieftain o the puddin’ race’.
January 25 is Burns Night, which celebrates the life and work of Scotland’s bard.
Born in 1759 in Alloway in Ayrshire, Robert was the son of a farmer whose family didn’t have much money so Robert and his six brothers and sisters had to help out on the farm. But even though they had lots of jobs to do, their father made sure they had plenty of time to read and learn.
Robert, often known as Rabbie, wrote his first poem at the age of 15 and 12 years later his first collection of poetry – Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect – was published.
Poetry-lovers in Edinburgh couldn’t get enough of Robert’s work and he became quite a celebrity.
But despite being famous and making a good living, Robert didn’t forget his roots and often wrote about how everybody should be given the same opportunities, whether they are rich or poor.
The poet was just 37 when he died and shortly after, in his honour, his friends held a supper to celebrate his life, at which they served his beloved haggis. Ingredients in the savoury pudding include meat, oatmeal, onions, salt and spices, all wrapped in a sheep’s stomach.
Most haggis nowadays is made in a sausage casing, however, and those of you who aren’t offaly keen on meat could even opt for a vegetarian haggis, which contains vegetables, pulses, oatmeal, seeds and spices.
Burns Night is held on the poet’s birthday each year and the haggis still takes pride of place on the supper menu. Whichever version you go for, pile your plate high with bashed neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) and raise a toast to Rabbie Burns.