Building the Perfect Meal With Sheep Lungs and a Suitcase (Published 2020) (2024)

FAQs

What is the main ingredient in haggis? ›

Haggis (Scottish Gaelic: taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now an artificial casing is often used instead.

Those in the U.S. who'd like to try the dish are out of luck — assuming they want to try a haggis made with its traditional ingredients. It was long illegal to import the dish from its ancestral home of Scotland, and Americans have been forbidden by law from making dishes that include sheep lungs since 1971.

Traditionally, Haggis comprises of sheep's offal, mixed with oats, suet, onion, spices and is cooked inside a sheep's stomach. Today, the haggis that is widely available in supermarkets and served commonly in restaurants is made from either lamb, beef, pork, or sometimes venison.

The Haggis

Heart and lungs will provide some iron, zinc and selenium and the oats included in haggis will contribute to fibre intake. It's important not to over indulge in haggis as it tends to be high in fat and saturated fat as well as high in salt, so be mindful of the portion size.

Haggis has an earthy, gamey flavor due to the offal; the oats give it nutty flavor as well. The liver in the mix also lends of bit of a classic paté flavor. Haggis is scooped out of the casing when served and has a crumbly texture. Even in Scotland, haggis is an acquired taste.

Haggis has a very meaty flavour which is rich and even slightly metallic due to the offal. The oats and onions add both sweetness and texture. Then you get a nice punch of heat from the black pepper and the other spices used.

Like haggis, Stornoway Black Pudding is a U.K. favorite that contains sheep's lungs. This ingredient makes it illegal to import into the United States, despite it being a regular menu item across the pond.

Macaulay's Haggis Slices 240g | ALDI. Favourites.

Haggis. Haggis is our national dish, and the first recipe dates back to the 15th century (in recorded history).

Haggis imports into the United States were prohibited in 1971 as part of a ban on the consumption of all livestock lungs. Authentic versions of old school haggis remain culinary contraband in the US, as hard to lay your hands on as Cuban cigars.

Do haggis still exist? ›

A large number of wild haggis still roam the moors and machair of the Western Isles and, despite the Isles of Lewis and Harris having a strict Sabbatarian tradition, the Hebridean Haggis Hunt is one of the few events that takes place on a Sunday across all of the islands – including Lewis and Harris.

The first known written recipe for haggis is from 1390, by one of the cooks for King Richard II, called Afronchemolye. The recipe calls for eggs, breadcrumbs and finely diced sheep's fat with seasoning (saffron) to be stuffed in a sheep's tripe and sewn securely, then steamed or boiled.

Cook in water

There are different ways to cook your Haggis, however, the traditional way is by wrapping it tightly with tinfoil and placing it in a simmering (NOT boiling) pot of water. It will take approximately 60 minutes to cook (from frozen) or 45 minutes (from thawed).

Traditional haggis is a sausage filled with finest lamb, beef, oats, onions and spices. It's a great source of iron, fibre, and carbohydrate with no artificial colours.

Black pudding is another traditional Scottish dish that is very similar to haggis as they are both made with the same ingredients: onions, pork fat, oatmeal and spices. Contrary to haggis, black pudding is made from pigs' blood, which holds all the ingredients together.

However, black pudding includes the addition of blood, giving it a distinct flavour and appearance. Haggis, on the other hand, combines offal (sheep's heart, liver, and lungs) with oatmeal, suet, onions, and spices.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the haggis and reduce to a simmer. Time according to weight – McLays recommends boiling a 1kg natural-cased haggis for an hour and 15 minutes. To serve, carefully slit open the casing and tip the filling onto a plate.

Serve up a Scottish supper to remember with a classic smoked fish soup and the essential haggis, neeps and tatties - all rounded off with a traditional clootie dumpling. Delicious!