“Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!”
Robert Burns Day is celebrated on (or near) Jan. 25 - “the great man’s presumed birthday” according to a BBC report - with a Burns Supper featuring haggis. Burns’ poem ”To a Haggis” is recited at the supper.
Haggis (traditionally made with a variety of animal innards cooked up in a sheep’s stomach) may seem like one of the most vegetarian-unfriendly foods around, but it isn’t necessarily so. Ready-made vegetarian haggis is available, and there are many, many vegetarian recipes if you want to make your own. For example, cookbook author and blogger Bryanna Clark Grogan has recipes for an entire vegan Burns Supper.
A can of vegetarian haggis from Caledonian Kitchen sat proudly on my counter for several months. I missed Burns Day, but decided to go ahead and try it over the weekend. It was unusual - tasty and something I’ll probably eat again (maybe next Jan. 25). I can’t say how closely it resembled non-vegetarian haggis. It did go well with the traditional “tatties and neeps” (mashed potato and rutabaga) – and the leftovers did well as a “shepherd’s pie,” with a layer of the haggis covered with the mashed tubers). It probably won’t become an everyday food - but then, I don’t know any folks who eat “regular” haggis regularly, either.
Comments