What Parts of Sheep Is Haggis Made Of?

For the Scottish specialty haggis, the stomach, heart, lungs, liver and tongue of the sheep are processed. The sheep’s stomach forms the outer casing, comparable to a natural casing in sausages. The sheep’s liver, tongue, heart and lungs are finely chopped or put through a meat grinder and are an integral part of the filling. Sheep suet or suet are also among the ingredients, along with onions and oatmeal. Haggis is seasoned with black pepper, grated nutmeg and mace.

The preparation requires patience and finesse. First, the stomach is thoroughly rinsed with cold water and turned inside out. The remains of the gastric mucosa and gastric acid must be scraped off with the unground side of a knife blade. With the sharp side of the blade there is a risk of injuring the stomach wall, which must remain intact for haggis.

The offal is cooked in meat broth for the filling. The trachea is still attached to the lungs and must hang over the edge of the pot during cooking so that it can drain into a bowl. After the offal has finished cooking, it is chopped up, seasoned and mixed with the remaining ingredients.

The clean sheep stomach is turned inside out and filled with the mixture. It is important to remember that the oatmeal swells during the final cooking. To prevent the haggis from bursting, the sheep’s stomach must not be filled to the brim, but there must be enough space next to the filling. The stomach is tightly closed with kitchen twine and pricked all over with a fork so that air can escape and it cannot burst open. Finally, the stomach has to cook in boiling water for at least three hours. Before serving, the kitchen twine is removed, but the haggis is only cut open at the table.

There are numerous stories, legends, anecdotes, and traditions surrounding the Scottish national dish of haggis. For example, the so-called Burns Supper takes place every year on January 25th on the occasion of the birthday of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Bagpipes will be played, haggis will be served by candlelight, and Burns’ poem Address to Haggis will be recited. When the line “cut ye up wi ready slight” sounds, the haggis is cut with a sword or dagger.