The Haggis Experiment!

I've always had a curiosity regarding Haggis - the traditional Scottish dish of tripe and entrails ground up and stuffed in a sheep's stomach. As soon as I met an honest to God Scotsman, Adrian (Addy) at work, one of the first things I'd asked him about was Haggis. He told me it was actually very good.

As January 25th, the Scotish poet Robert Burns' birthday, and the traditional day that the Scots have Haggis drew nearer, I decided to get up the nerve to try it. What foodie could pass up this opportunity? I'd been recommended to buy a MacSween's Haggis at the store. I was even given recipes for the traditional accompaniments, "Tats and Nips" - Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes and Ginger Turnips.

One additional essential ingredient, Scottish Whiskey remained, and Addy took me to a Whiskey shop in Soho where I purchased a good bottle. I purchased a 10 year old Talisker from the Isle of Sky in Scotland. It cost more than I expected to pay, but there were many bottles that were way out of my price league. I had no idea how expensive Whiskey can be.

I found only one coworker, Yakov, who was brave enough to come over and join Tony and me for a traditional Haggis dinner in honor Robert Burns birthday. I'm happy to report that Haggis is actually very good. It reminds me of two American dishes, Dirty Rice and Corned Beef Hash. However instead of the rice and the potatoes that are in these dishes, barley is used as the grain product. It was also surprisingly spicy for a dish from the British Isles and had quite a bit of pepper in it.

Before eating the Haggis, you have to address the Haggis by reading this Robert Burns poem. I only got through 4 verses before Tony made me promise to never do this again. All and all, it was a fun experience, and I'm glad to have experienced another cultural treasure.

As a footnote to all of this, I hear the US is finally ending its 21 year ban on importing Haggis. Now all my friends back home can try it!