| Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, | |
| Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race! | |
| Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, | |
| Painch, tripe, or thairm: | |
| Weel are ye wordy o’a grace | 5 |
| As lang’s my arm. |
Yes, I did partake of the haggis in Scotland--in fact, on the very first evening--and yes, I did enjoy it. Thoroughly.
I had been aware that the dish was made of lamb innards, but I learned much more about traditions surrounding what Robert Burns calls "the chieftain o' the pudding-race." In fact, nothing quite compares to the ritual unless it's a Catholic Mass, and, indeed, the haggis is given almost eucharistic reverence. It does, after all, involve the sacrifice of a lamb.
Most versions of the Haggis are made from lamb's liver, onions, oatmeal, and other ingredients boiled in the "bag" of a sheep's stomach. I ordered it simply to honor Scotland's traditions, but all the boys in our group ordered it as a rite of passage, expecting to dislike the dish; however, all of us found it to be delicious. We did not get the full treatment, with potatoes and turnip on the side, but we all chowed down our steaming hunks of haggis with great relish. None of the girls were inclined to attempt the meal, most settling for fish and chips, which turned out to be a delectible, lightly fried, flaky haddock, far superior to the mystery fish we'd been served in England.
We discovered that Scots will batter and deep-fry just about anything. One student enjoyed a battered, deep-fried hot dog, while all of the boys had battered, deep-fried Snickers bars for dessert.
Late that evening, after bed-check, I was relaxing on a leather chair in the lounge of the Melvin House Hotel, telling Colin, the concierge, about my enjoyment of the dish. "But you haven't finished yet," he told me, and stepped behind the bar. He poured out two fingers of The Famous Grouse and handed it to me.
He was right. I hadn't finished.
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9 comments:
just want to say I've enjoyed all the posts (to date) of your trip to england and scotland.. I hope you are printing them out and keeping them somewhere with your photographs so you can look back and read what you felt at the time.
sounds barbaric to me. and a bit sacriligeous...
I'm sick to my stomach thinking about your meal, but then again when in Rome.......
You're making me homesick, and so am glad I will be back in Edinburgh to participate in a friend's wedding next month. I miss the people more than anything, but the place is something special too. And I'm glad you partook o' the haggis.
Hope you had the chance not only to snap a picture of Arthur's Seat, but also to climb it. It sits in Queen's Park, a lovely spot. Not very high, nor very steep, but it affords a splendid view.
Thanks for all the wonderful posts. As Edinburgh folk might say, "Lang may yer lum reek!"
I would have eaten the haggis with you, baby.
We discovered that Scots will batter and deep-fry just about anything. -- There's a reason the Appalachians are called the Southern Highlands. How do you think we learned how to deep fry down here?
Wow. Haggis. You ARE on an adventure! Sounds like you are having a good time. It also sounds like you have a stomach of steel-congrats.
Do they serve it cut up in small circles? Joe was eating something for breakfast in Ireland that I could not look at, much less eat. I thought it was blood pudding, but I think it was pretty close to the same thing. I would have liked the grouse for sure!
Well, as a Presyterian, I HAVE had haggis.
I'm with the young ladies on this one.
Being a girl....I also passed on haggis. Passed on the blood pudding too!
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