Which animal does haggis come from?

Answer 1

Haggis is a food dish, not an animal. Answer: Many tourists to Scotland, no doubt abetted by the Scots, are lead to believe that the Haggis is an animal. This is what they're told: Ahh ... the Haggis hunting ---- you may not be aware that the haggis lives only on the steep slopes of Scottish mountains which due to the basaltic and volcanic nature of their formation are almost perfectly cone shaped. Over the years they, the haggis not the mountains, have evolved into two related species the levo- and dextro- haggis. (This was reported in Scientific American or Nature magazine a few years back). The outcome is that the haggis have legs shorter on the left (levo) side or right (dexro) side to facilitate their walking around the mountain peaks in search of food (heather mostly) These traits bred true as only a dextro haggis male can approach a dextro haggis female from behind and the same for the levo.

So when it comes to hunting the beasts you must do it in damp weather when the slopes are damp and slippery. As you chase them, the haggis run forward but slip further and further down the mountains to the flatland at the bottoms of the mountains. On the flats their legs work against them and they fall to one side, ready to be harvested.

Obviously if hunted in the dry spells they have better traction and run up the cone shaped mountains in ever decreasing spirals until they disappear up their own behinds. Back to reality:

Haggis resembles stuffed intestines (pig intestines otherwise known as chitterlings or the kokoretsi of traditional Balkan cuisine), sausages and savoury puddings of which it is among the largest types. Basically a Haggis is made from all the parts of a sheep that cannot be sold to the English specifically the sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach forabout three hours. Note that the lungs are traditionally included in Scotland, but are omitted in North America for reasons unknown.

As an aside the instruction in the recipe "Turn stomach inside out for stuffing." is an instruction for the cook and not the non-Scot confronted with the dish.

1 each: sheep's lung, stomach, heart, liver

* 1/2 lb fresh suet (kidney leaf fat is preferred)

* 3/4 cup oatmeal (real Scots cut meal)

* 3 onions, finely chopped

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

* 3/4 cup stock

Wash lungs and stomach well, rub with salt and rinse. Remove membranes and excess fat. Soak in cold salted water for several hours. Turn stomach inside out for stuffing.

Cover heart, lungs and liver with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Chop heart and coarsely grate liver. Toast oatmeal in a skillet on top of the stove, stirring frequently, until golden. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Loosely pack mixture into stomach, about two-thirds full. Caution, oatmeal expands in cooking.

Press any air out of stomach and truss securely. Put into boiling water to cover. Simmer for 3 hours, uncovered, adding more water as needed to maintain water level. Prick stomach several times with a sharp needle when it begins to swell; this keeps the bag from bursting. Place on a hot platter, removing trussing strings. Serve with a spoon after piercing with a sgiandubh (a traditional Scottish Dagger). Usually served with "neeps, tatties and nips" -- mashed turnips, mashed potatoes, nips of whiskey after a rendition of Burns' "Ode to the Haggis." Answer: What a load of offal tripe. It does take guts to prepare a haggis. However, it does get to the heart of the matter.

Answer 2

Haggis is made from sheep's offal (heart, Lungs, liver) and other ingredients such as oats and seasoning.