Haggis is regarded as the national dish of Scotland. Haggis is a sausage-like dish of meat. Wikipedia.org describes haggis as "a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours."
The thrifty Scots of old made sure that nothing went to waste on an animal. They made haggis by cooking whatever was available, such as kidneys, liver, tripe, heart, and other internal organs, including the lungs.
Wikipedia also quotes the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique: "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour".
A further description of the preparation of haggis will leave the average American without an appetite, so I'll skip the details. Anyone interested in the details of haggis should read Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis
Ok, now that your appetite has been whetted, let's get started on making traditional haggis. One problem: sheep's stomach, heart, lungs and other internal organs may be a bit difficult to find in American grocery stores and butcher shops. Admittedly, I don't mind the scarcity. Even if I could find the ingredients, I am not keen on the idea of grinding them all up and stuffing them into a sheep's stomach.Luckily, there is an easy solution: iGourmet.com sells Celtic Lamb Haggis in a can.
Quoting from the iGourmet web site: "Homesick Scots rejoice! Now you can enjoy the delicious taste of authentic lamb haggis with this award-winning recipe from Caledonian Kitchen. Only the finest ingredients are acceptable to make haggis the Caledonian Kitchen way. This is their lamb version of the famous haggis enjoyed by thousands of American Scots since 1996. In 2002 Caledonian Kitchen was honored to compete with some of the giants of haggis-making in Scotland Magazine's haggis competition held at the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland. In 2005 it was featured in Saveur Magazine, where it was deemed 'Worthy of Robert Burns.'”
The ingredients in the Caledonian Kitchen haggis are also closer to what Americans are used to eating: Water, Lamb, Hydrated Pin Oats, Beef Liver, Refined Beef Suet, Salt, Onions and Spices. I don't see any internal organs listed, other than liver. The ingredients are stuffed into a synthetic skin, not a sheep's stomach. The synthetic skin is similar to the method used for most sausages made in the United States.
A 14.5 ounce can of Caledonian Kitchen haggis sells for $9.99 plus shipping. I suspect you can have it delivered in time for National Tartan Day if you specify overnight delivery. Details may be found at http://tinyurl.com/yclmp2kDisclaimer: I haven't tested this product myself.
You, too, can serve a lunch that everyone will talk about for weeks.
