Haggis love it or leave it?

Scotland’s National poet Robert (or Rabbie as he is known) Burns, had a humble start as part of a relatively poor farming family.

He led a varied life when he was young, taking  a position in Jamaica as he was fleeing imminent arrest  and becoming  a bookkeeper who without doubt also kept a tally of the slaves on the plantation.

He described himself as “a poor Negro driver” but having sold his Scotch Poems to fund his passage to Jamaica, he was delighted to learn that his work was popular in Edinburgh and returned there to carry on writing.

During his life he managed to father 12 children, published numerous poems and songs, became a senior Freemason and even a revenue officer who seized a vessel smuggling brandy to the Isle of Man.

He died poor but has been described as ‘Scotland’s Shakespeare’ and so popular was he at the time of his death, friends got together in 1801 to enjoy a meal and to celebrate the short life of this poet who died aged 37.

This has since become a Scottish tradition when on January 25 (his birthday), Scots (and other admirers) all over the world meet to celebrate Burns Night.

The host says a few words of introduction before everyone is seated and the Selkirk Grace is said.

Some Folk hae meat that canna eat,

And some can eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

So let the Lord be Thanket!

It is wrongly supposed that it was actually written by Burns, but this is not the case, although he recited it at a dinner party held by the Earl of Selkirk in 1794, hence its name.

A starter of soup is enjoyed before the centrepiece of the meal, a haggis, is brought in while a piper plays the bagpipes.

The host then recites Address to a Haggis (which Burns did write) and at the lines ‘His knife see rustic Labour dicht, An’ cut you up wi’ ready slicht’, the host should draw and clean a knife before plunging it into the haggis, slicing it open from end to end in dramatic fashion.

A toast is then proposed to the haggis whilst mashed potatoes (tatties) and turnips (neeps) traditionally accompany the haggis.

The haggis itself was originally a sheep’s stomach (although nowadays it is often replaced by cellulose as it is not eaten) stuffed with heart/lung/liver of lamb, beef or lamb mince or trimmings, onion, oatmeal, suet, condiments, nutmeg and other herbs or spices.

When the meal is over, one of the guests makes a speech commemorating Burns and proposes a toast to the great man, known as the Immortal Memory.

A toast is then made to the lassies’ in recognition of Burns’ fondness for the fairer sex and sometimes a female guest will reply with a humorous toast to the laddies’.

When we asked readers if they like haggis, the response was not really surprising as 92 per cent were very much in favour and 8 per cent thought it was horrible with just one person asking if there was a vegetarian option.

Not only are there plenty of vegetarian and vegan recipes for haggis but there are several ready-made options available.

Although there are numerous suggestions that the haggis is a wild animal that needs to be hunted, that clearly isn’t the case but restaurants all over Spain join in the hunt for the elusive haggis on January 25.