While researching facts
to add to my romance novels set in Scotland, I learned about a staple
food called Haggis. In truth, I have heard and even tasted the American version
of this treat. Yes, I use the word treat,
because the taste must be acquired. My taste buds have not fallen under its
spell, but when it is offered…I dig in.
Haggis is usually made
by stuffing a sheep’s stomach with sheep’s pluck,
what we know as the animal’s cooked heart, liver, and lungs. Onions, oatmeal,
suet, and spices are added, and the mixture is put through a meat grinder. The
stuffed sausage-like food is then cooked in an oven. The coarse texture has a
distinct taste similar to goose liver pate, such as foie gras, a well-known
French delicacy. The Scots eat it like candy.
In my first book in my Highland Games Through Time series, I
mention haggis in a less-than positive light. My heroine, Haven MacKay, is
upset with a friend and thinks:
Where
had Jake run off to? Was he stuck in the long food lines? Or, had he escaped
inside the beer tent?
I hope he chokes
on a mouthful of haggis.
In my second book in the
series, My Banished Highlander, my
hero from ancient Scotland
finds himself at a present-day Highland Games, and he is hungry:
The aroma of
haggis made his stomach rumble and reminded him that his mistress had sent him
to procure their noon meal.
I cannot say that my
personal experience tasting haggis is the same as one might experience when
visiting Scotland.
America
does not allow the use of lungs, and sometimes casings other than a sheep’s
intestine are used. I have spread what Scots call tasty pudding on crackers at Burns Suppers back in New Hampshire. ‘Burns suppers’ are traditionally held in late January to commemorate the
birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. As his poem Address to a Haggis, is recited, giggles echo among the diners, and
glasses of whisky clink. Check out the poem in its original text as well as
it’s idiomatic translation HERE http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Address_to_a_Haggis
Why would someone create such a food? Well, when all you have to eat is
leftover sheep parts and you are near starvation because you are down to your
last sheep, someone came up with the idea to use…ah… other parts. (I refuse to
talk about fried testicles) The first mention of haggis is from way back in the
14th century, and some think it might have originated in Scandinavia, but the modern haggis is considered a
traditional Scottish dish. Today, many are served in artificial casings, and
sometimes served deep-fried in batter, or as a pizza topping. Unfortunately, it
is illegal to import haggis into the US
from the UK
due to a ban on food containing sheep lungs. The situation was further
complicated in 1989 when all UK beef and lamb was banned from importation to
the US due to BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease. Read more about this ban HERE
http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/04/haggis-banned-in-the-u-s-a/
So, imagine my surprise when I saw bags of haggis chips for sale at a
Highland games festival in North
Carolina. I bought some, and the flavor was very
reminiscent of the haggis I have tasted.
The ingredients listed are: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Haggis, and various seasonings. Looks
like someone snuck this by the US
food patrol!
BLURB: My Reluctant Highlander
Skye
has spent the last five years trying to forget the blacksmith who followed her
back to 16th century Scotland,
to help fight evil. Sending Jake Jamison home against his will was a disastrous
mistake. Stealing his heart was not part of the plan.
Jake
must share his secret, Skye must give her heart fully, and both must dare to
love in the time they have.
BIO:
She loves
chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a
Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the
air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of
Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers,
Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers,
and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.
Connect with Nancy:
MY RELUCTANT HIGHLANDER
buy links
iTunes http://bit.ly/12Ic1bl
Don't forget to leave a comment...and put your email address in the comment box! One lucky
person will win a tote filled with autographed paperback books by the following
authors. Nancy met up with them at the recent
Romance Writers of America
Conference. A winner will be chosen on Thursday, September 12th. The tote includes:
LORD OF DARKNESS by Elizabeth
Hoyt
CRAVE THE MOON by Lori
Handeland
WHO WANTS TO MARRY A
COWBOY by Abigail Sharpe
A FAIRY TALE SAMPLER
from Eloisa James
MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER
by Nancy Lee Badger
And
a bag of Haggis Chips, all in a Tote (courtesy of AVON)
*an international winner will receive a selection of ebooks instead.
**please leave contact information
