Introduction
Today haggis is probably the most famous Scottish dish. By its format, it is a hot meat pudding (although there is no meat as such in it). Traditional haggis is a stuffed lamb stomach. Inside it has shredded lamb entrails mixed with oatmeal, fat, spices and broth. Since ancient times, it was the food of the poor, which was prepared, one might say, from waste. In addition, in this way it was possible to preserve perishable meat products and take them with you on the road. In general, this is a simple rough food, and outwardly it does not shine with appetizing in life or in photographs (forgive, if what you see below will offend your aesthetic feelings). But this is the case when you shouldn’t rely on looks.
And that’s a paradox. Scotland, with its richest natural resources, feeds all of Britain with first-class food – primarily the highest quality meat, fish and seafood. And the local cuisine knows how to present all this splendor in such a way that you can swallow your tongue. However, the whole world glorified her for something much more prosaic and inherently frankly low-grade. And this is not an empty glory: most of the Scots (and a significant part of the British in general) treat haggis with a special feeling, even if they eat it no more than once a year. Wonder what does haggis taste like? Continue reading
History of Haggis
Haggis is a fictional creature. According to legend, it lived in the Scottish Highlands, but became extinct due to the fact that the right legs of creatures of one sex are shorter than the left leg, and vice versa. When they met, they faced each other with their muzzles and, due to the difficulties of mating on the slopes, became extinct.
History of Haggis starts with the first known haggis recipe was published in a poetic cookbook “Liber Cure Cocorum” (recipes in verse, can you imagine?), Dating back to around 1430. In the following centuries, many and many more options were published in specialized literature, but at home, ordinary Scottish housewives were generally guided only by their own ideas about what a haggis should be. So it is impossible to name an absolutely canonical recipe. Moreover, even today, in different regions of Scotland, haggis recipes can differ significantly from each other.
What is Haggis
To know what does haggis taste like you have to know that it is. The national Scottish dish haggis is a spicy, aromatic and hot meat pudding made from oatmeal, spices, onions and lamb giblets, the shell of which is a mutton stomach.
Haggis is a fictional creature. According to legend, it lived in the Scottish Highlands, but became extinct due to the fact that the right legs of creatures of one sex are shorter than the left leg, and vice versa. When they met, they were turned to face each other and due to the difficulties of mating on the slopes became extinct. There are many recipes which will help you know what does haggis taste like, it can be both meat and vegetable, with the addition of spices and herbs; the taste may be spicy or mild; in appearance – rough or smooth.
Preparation of Haggis has its own tradition, it has to be prepared for dinner on January 25, during the celebration of the birthday of Robert Burns. In Burns’ time, this dish was considered a food of the poor, as it was prepared from sheep giblets intended to be discarded.
In shops in Scotland, haggis can be bought at any time of the year. The cheapest option is stuffed not in a sheep’s stomach, but in an artificial casing, or sold in cans; so that it can be easily warmed up in an oven or microwave. In addition, haggis is often made not from sheep, but from pork tripe. Haggis is loved by all Scotland and by everyone who tries it, it is hurt worming dish which you will fell in love with.
Haggis Recipe
After following instructions you will see what does haggis taste like.
First, wash the sheep’s stomach and remove the excess skin flaps and excess fat. To continue cooking haggis put some salt into it and let put into salt water. Then turn it inside out.
Now chop the heart and coarsely chop the liver. Then stir in the oatmeal piece by piece and roast in a pan until golden brown.
Now mix all the ingredients including the broth, the kidney fat, the onions and the spices well; pour into the empty stomach. This should only be 2/3 full because the oatmeal expands. Carefully push the air out of the stomach and tie the stomach tightly.
Now place the stomach completely covered with water in a saucepan; cook the stomach over low heat and without a lid for 3 hours. Meanwhile, keep replenishing evaporating water. When the shell puffs up, just prick it with a fork.
After the cooking process, place the haggis without threads on a plate in the middle of the table. It is served with a spoon so that everyone can take a piece.
Conclusion
Haggis is an old Scottish national dish, although historians dispute about its origin. Some say that even the ancient Romans ate something similar. Others believe that such a dish was first invented and served to the French royal table in 878. Be that as it may, thanks to folklore, haggis is still considered a Scottish food. Stories were passed from mouth to mouth that when lords and gentlemen ordered to slaughter the lambs for supper, the servants were allowed to keep all the insides for themselves. In order not to waste good, they came up with such an interesting dish.
In modern Scotland, haggis is so popular that there are many places where you can find already semi-finished haggis. You just need to put these in the oven, double boiler or just cook. Many butcher shops sell homemade haggis. Haggis is national dish that is enjoyed by all people.
