Burns Night January the 25th

Robert Burns' portrait next to a Haggis.

For some reason I always wanted to try a Haggis.
And why not try it when it is celebrated most during Burns Night. An event celebrated by Scots all over the world where they commemorate Robert Burns and recite his poems and the most famous being Auld Lang Syne.mp3 text.

I don't know why I would like to try it, maybe because it just doesn't sound right? Just read the ingredients.

Haggis Recipe
Ingredients
1 sheep's stomach or ox secum, cleaned and thoroughly, scalded, turned inside out and soaked overnight in cold salted water
heart and lungs of one lamb
450g/1lb beef or lamb trimmings, fat and lean
2 onions, finely chopped
225g/8oz oatmeal
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground dried coriander
1 tsp mace
1 tsp nutmeg
water, enough to cook the haggis
stock from lungs and trimmings

Method
1. Wash the lungs, heart and liver (if using). Place in large pan of cold water with the meat trimmings and bring to the boil. Cook for about 2 hours.
2. When cooked, strain off the stock and set the stock aside.
3. Mince the lungs, heart and trimmings.
4. Put the minced mixture in a bowl and add the finely chopped onions, oatmeal and seasoning. Mix well and add enough stock to moisten the mixture. It should have a soft crumbly consistency.
5. Spoon the mixture into the sheep's stomach, so it's just over half full. Sew up the stomach with strong thread and prick a couple of times so it doesn't explode while cooking.
6. Put the haggis in a pan of boiling water (enough to cover it) and cook for 3 hours without a lid. Keep adding more water to keep it covered.
7. To serve, cut open the haggis and spoon out the filling. Serve with neeps (mashed swede or turnip) and tatties (mashed potatoes).

Some ingredients like the lungs aren't even available for human consumption in the USA and apparently there are even Haggis smugglers.

But we'll have a go at our little Haggis tomorrow... And if we don't like it we have sausages on stand-by just in case.