Could Haggis be…..English?

It is as Scottish as bagpipes and whisky. Or is it?

In a nightmarish claim for those north of the border, Haggis is being hailed as…an English dish! A food historian says she has found reference to Haggis in England in 1615, long before any Scottish mention of the product. And the said expert, Catherine Brown, is a Scot herself! “It is English because we can find it in English recipe books, basically, in the 17th century, and there is also an English book called the English Hus-Wife, by Gervase Markham, in which he says the English were very fond of it and everybody made it,” she said. Robert Burns must be turning in his grave! But it was not until 1786 that one of Scotland’s most famous sons honoured Haggis in a famous poem. Yet proud Scots continue to defend the mix of oatmeal, liver, heart and lungs as part of their heritage. “Oh no, it is a Scottish dish, it always will be,” said one man on the streets of the Scottish town of Ayr. “Oh no, it should not be English. It is definitely a Scottish thing, that is what I think,” another man added. “The cheeky devils!” was an elderly woman’s response to the “English” claims. Wherever it came from, Haggis remains a symbol of Scotland, served with neeps and tatties – that is turnips and potatoes to you and me!More about: Gastronomy, Scotland, United Kingdom

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