For the first part of the Robert Burns Scottish Dinner, no one would tell me what is actually IN Scottish Haggis.
“You’ve had McDonald’s before, right?” said David. “Well, then you’ve already ingested random animal parts. Don’t worry about it– just eat.”
Finally it came out: Haggis is a whole bunch of lamb parts (heart, liver, lung… maybe even “bollocks”), cooked in a sheep stomach. Wow. Haggis is traditionally served with “neeps and tatties,” turnip and potatoes, and there is a famous long poem by Robert Burns (author of “Auld Lang Syne,” which we sing on New Years), celebrating the glorious “buttocks” appearance of the food. Come watch the play-by play of what happened last night at the Haggis party! Click a thumbnail to enlarge the photo.
- David mixes the “neeps.”
- Many folks wore plaid.
- The Haggis emerges!
- Everyone is excited/scared.
- David begins the poem…
- …in a Scottish accent!
- David stabs the Haggis!
- Smells like spicy meat.
- Skye fearfully approaches.
- She takes some Haggis!
- Gaining courage to eat.
- Scott dives in with zest!
- I’m ready to try the haggis.
- The first Haggis bite!!!
- Ummm… taking it in…
- Gosh, it’s spicy and meaty!
- But it’s like meatloaf…
- I actually love haggis!
- Colin is a vegetarian…
- …but decides to try Haggis!
- He takes his first bite!
- Thinking… tasting…
- Um… it’s… it’s…
- He likes it! Crazy!
- A man dressed for Haggis.
- We conquered the Haggis!
- Burp! Too much Haggis.
And that’s what happened last night! I’m pleased to report that we are not only all still alive this morning, but now we also have some hilarious (and some might argue, delicious) cross-cultural memories! (Though I’d still prefer fufu.) So what about you? Have you had Haggis before? How’d you like it? And if you haven’t, are you now tempted??

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
The GypsyNesters
Monday 9th of April 2012
Very cute post! We're always eating crazy things, and haggis is always brought up as a dare - we haven't had the chance yet! Glad to see you survived!
Lillie
Monday 9th of April 2012
You can do it!!! :)
Triston Xie
Wednesday 14th of March 2012
It sounds very bad, but the pictures of the haggis looks good. Did you guys stuff the sheep stomach and then sew the stomach back together again? The haggis looks like a huge sausage. You get to try the neatest foods in the world. I am envy of the food you get to try.
Lillie
Thursday 15th of March 2012
Hehe thanks :) I wasn't there when David cooked it, so I did no stomach sewing!
Dylon Crowley-Perez
Tuesday 14th of February 2012
OMG why would you eat lung!
Lillie
Tuesday 14th of February 2012
It's interesting? :)
Jean Luc Picard
Friday 3rd of February 2012
Technically, you can't get "real" haggis in the US because it's illegal to serve lung.
Kelly Dunning
Wednesday 1st of February 2012
Cool! Good for you for trying Haggis, you are very brave! I had it for the first time when I was in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival last August. I was a bit nervous as well because of how horrible it sounds, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It has a very hearty, comforting feeling to it, especially when eaten with "Neeps and Tatties" (mashed turnips and potatoes) and whisky gravy in an old historical pub on the Royal Mile. Yay for trying new things!
Lillie
Wednesday 1st of February 2012
High five! :)