The Romance & History of Haggis
Shared by our SAS President and Vice President,
Vince Milewski and Morganne MacDonald
Founders of Macskis Highland Foods and Gear.
Few foods have the romantic allure and history as Haggis — lauded by poets, beloved by royalty, commoners, and everyone in between. The great food equalizer, haggis is a near perfect expression of history and culture as well as a culinary delight made by chefs worldwide.
Truly great haggis has a nutty texture and a delicious savory flavor, whether made of meat, or vegetables and legumes. Traditionally made of minced “sheep’s pluck” — sheep heart, liver, and lung — it has been made with venison or beef, as well as pork. At Macski’s, we use only use naturally raised lamb in our meat haggis. Our haggis is made with lamb, gluten-free organic oatmeal, onions, vegetable oil (in place of suet or beef fat --which allows the intensity of the other ingredients to shine through and is also better for our hearts), and our secret blend of spices. Truly great haggis has a nutty texture and a delicious savory flavor, whether made of meat, or vegetables and legumes. Traditionally made of minced “sheep’s pluck” — sheep heart, liver, and lung — it has been made with venison or beef, as well as pork. At Macski’s, we use only use naturally raised lamb in our meat haggis. Our haggis is made with lamb, gluten-free organic oatmeal, onions, vegetable oil (in place of suet or beef fat -- which allows the intensity of the other ingredients to shine through and is also better for our hearts), and our secret blend of spices.
There are written references to haggis which predate Robert Burns’ famous 1786 poem, "Address To The Haggis." While there is some controversy about where haggis was first created, there is no doubt that once Scotland’s national poet extemporaneously sang the praises of haggis, elevating it above any French “ragout,” at a dinner party, haggis has been the national dish of Scotland. Haggis and Scotland are inextricably linked. I think part of that is due to the heartiness of Scotland’s people, the beauty of their country, and the fact that haggis is a beautiful and hearty expression of culinary perfection.
“Hagas” appears in a bilingual English-Latin dictionary, authored by a Norfolk friar named Geoffry the Grammarian, sometime in 1440. This is the first known reference of haggis as a “puddynge” (pudding). Labeling restrictions by the USDA have prohibited Macski’s label from calling our haggis "sausage"—so the hold-over from the 1400’s of the term “pudding” remains alive and well here in 2022. In circa 1513, haggis appears again on the page, in a verse from poet William Dunbar, and is served by Chief Master Cook to Richard the Second at royal dinners. In 1615 haggis appears in a book of recipes and remedies entitled, The English Huswife, by Gervase Markham. In that book, a best-seller of its time, haggis is described as a “small oat meal mixed with blood and liver of sheep, calfe, or swine that maketh that pudding.”
Haggis is mentioned in Homer’s epic poem, "The Odyssey," as a food carried by Greek soldiers while they were on the move. Some historians and etymologists believe haggis came to Scotland by way of the Vikings, pointing to the root of the word haggis as the being derived from Old Norse “haggw” meaning to hack into small pieces. (Etymologist Walter William Skeat). Regardless of how it got to Scotland, we are thankful that it did and that we can help share the joy of the “Great chieftain of the puddin race.”
From ancient Greece to Vikings, from the food of monarchs, to being lauded in poetry as the ultimate food of the common man, haggis hits all the romantic high-notes. And its praise is well deserved. After our first trip together to Scotland in 1991, Vince fell in love with haggis and set out to make the make best haggis in the world. No small aspirations there! After many more trips and a haggis tasting journal that includes more than forty iterations of the famous dish—and more than a few years of creating some truly horrible product—we believe we’ve come close to perfection with Macski’s Scottish-Style Haggis. Our vegetarian haggis is superior to any we’ve tried, and we go out of our way to try it all! On one trip alone to Scotland, he sampled over 25 different haggi from across the country.
We love our Scottish, Norse, and for Vince, Polish, heritage and we put that love and dedication into every product we make. Our pasties are hand-rolled in family-owned and operated pasty factory in northern WI and soon we’ll have haggis pizzas made for us by a famous pizza maker in Racine WI. Just like the mighty haggis itself, we strive to create a sense of joy, history, and culinary excellence while adapting and growing to today’s tastes.
Do Good. Be Brave. Eat Haggis—preferably Macskis!
To the Haggis!