# Anyone tried haggis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030 "2015-02-18T19:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/61 "2015-02-20T19:46:41Z")
One of my goals on my first visit to the UK was to taste “authentic” haggis. I found it to be so vile-tasting that I literally had to force myself to swallow one bite. Then I tried \*vegetarian \*haggis, which proved to be every bit as retched as the real thing. Haggis is at the top of a very short list of foods I don’t care for (followed closely by Limburger cheese). ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/62 "2015-02-23T10:59:48Z")
No such thing as vegetarian haggis. I’ve tasted some horrible crap called that but its not vegetarian haggis… ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/63 "2015-02-23T12:24:51Z")
I’ve been looking for a chance to try freshly made haggis for years. I’ve had canned haggis and it takes mostly like a type of liver pate or chopped liver. Goes fine on bread or crackers but it needs a little something. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/64 "2015-02-23T12:46:58Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Alas, I come from a very Irish family, and have tasted every horrid pudding and/or sausage (including assorted blood puddings) ever made. > > There’s a reason NOBODY in the history of the world has ever said, “I’m starving- let’s go set some Irish/Scottish food!” For the most part, except for a few exotic outliers like blood pudding and haggis, Scottish and Irish good is not too different from traditional Anglo-American food. What do you get at an Irish pub in America? Shepherds pie, lamb or beef stew, boiled vegetables, roast beef sandwiches, savory pies, roasted or grilled meats or fish, sausages, mashed or baked or fried potatoes, batter-fried fish, cheese, bread, salads, beer, etc. Few people say “let’s go out for Irish food” because for the most part it’s the same as traditional American food. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/65 "2015-02-25T09:12:10Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > What you call a pie, is not what the scots call a pie: > [Scotch Pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_pie) > > I never really had them out chippies (I think someone put salt and vinegar on them and put me off them from chippies for life), but I think they are one of the few things not typically deep fried… > > I’m not sure how popular they are now, but never seen a pizza deep fried in and english chippie… Yeah, as a half-Scot I’m quite aware of them. Hell I’ve even made them here in Sweden because I missed the buggers. Brain fart, but still my experience the poster I was replying to vastly underestimated the variety of things available in a chippie in England. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/66 "2015-02-25T09:22:14Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > Alarmingly, the Scotch pie is, indeed, usually deep fried. At least it’s not battered first. My local chippie actual also has two separate menu items - one merely specified as “Steak Pie”, and the more expensive “Steak Pie (Oven Baked)”. > > I’ve always been led to believe that an English chippie will typically have a choice of fish - cod and chips, haddock and chips, plaice and chips and so on, but only really saveloy for a meat product, whereas the Scottish chippie just does fish supper (haddock and chips) or a bewildering array products discussed upthread. But, of course, England is a very big place and there will doubtless be regional variations. I’d say you are wrong. Back when I was working in a chippie (1990-1992ish), off the top of my head we sold: Cod Haddock Plaice Fish cakes Cod Roe Saveloy Jumbo sausage Battered sausage Chicken Steak pie Chicken pie Microwave (!) burger Curry Sauce Mushy Peas Scallop (basically a big wedge of friend potato, which bizarrely some people would order with chips) No doubt I am forgetting something. What was also very typical is that if the owner was a foreign descent something from his/her ethnicity would appear. IIRC one chip shop in my home town was run by a Greek guy and sold moussaka. No doubt others would have kebabs. One interesting fish regional variation (as someone else mentioned it) is that in London they sell something called “Rock Salmon”, which is actually a type of dogfish. I’d never seen that before I moved down there. It was the only fish I’d had in a chippie that was not filleted and thus required the removing of the spine. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/67 "2015-02-25T09:36:11Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Few people say “let’s go out for Irish food” because for the most part it’s the same as traditional American food. I’ve come across a fair few Swedes in my time here that like to mock British food (because that Swedish food has really taken the world by storm). I simply point out that we’re really sneaky and have snuck it under the radar by not opening restaurants but instead pubs that sell “traditional” food. For all people say that there are no “British Restaurants”, I can find British food in just about every major western city. You just go to the nearest British (or Irish, due to the similarity) pub. And they are _everywhere_. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/68 "2015-02-25T12:15:49Z")
I for one, having lived for a time in Great Britain, love British food of all sorts and cannot understand why so many people put it down. I was once heavily into things mediaeval, and had the chance to sample some traditional (historic) dishes as well. Talk about exotic! Tudor recipes put to shame just about anything that’s trendy today. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/69 "2015-02-25T12:47:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I was once heavily into things mediaeval, and had the chance to sample some traditional (historic) dishes as well. Talk about exotic! Tudor recipes put to shame just about anything that’s trendy today. You just don’t see roast peacock on the table very much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030/70 "2015-02-25T14:15:22Z")
I’ve had it from a Scottish bakery. It seemed quite authentic, but I can not confirm if it had lung in it or not. I wasn’t a huge fan, but it did not taste bad. I’ve had better things and I’ve had worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-haggis/713030.md?page=3)