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US To Lift 21-Year Ban On Haggis 35

Stuffed gut lovers rejoice! Haggis is about to return to the US. The daunting dish was banned out of health fears 21 years ago during the middle of the BSE (mad-cow disease) crisis. "It was a silly ban which meant a lot of people have never tasted the real thing," said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. "We have had to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful."

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US To Lift 21-Year Ban On Haggis

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  • by jayme0227 ( 1558821 ) on Friday January 29, 2010 @12:18PM (#30951652) Journal

    From Earthworm Jim

    Peter: (at the International House of Haggis) Hey...this haggis stuff is great! Say, how come no one comes here, anyway? (takes a big bite of haggis)
    Jim: Because haggis is made from the heart, lungs and liver of a sheep boiled in its own stomach.
    Peter: (looks absolutely repulsed)

    • Mmm... who'd eat haggis when you can eat the high quality cuisine that is US fast food "meat products"? And what do you think sausages come in? yup, sheep intestines...

      • by dow ( 7718 )

        I hear black pudding (congealed blood sausage) is off the menu over in the US... they class a lot of things as offal that really are quite delicious. Am I right in thinking you don't eat kidneys or liver either?

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          Am I right in thinking you don't eat kidneys or liver either?

          No, you are not. Liver is eaten, but kidneys I think end up in dog food.

          Many organ meats are high in cholesterol, and they tend to be looked down upon as something only country folk might eat because they need to use every part of the animal or something.

          • No, you are not. Liver is eaten, but kidneys I think end up in dog food.

            Your loss ; dog's gain.

            • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

              by Chris Burke ( 6130 )

              Having actually tried it, I have to say that while it may be the dog's gain, I don't feel I've lost anything.

              Same with lungs.

              Intestines as anything more than a small component.

              Or liver for that matter.

              But then again, for liver and kidneys, I have a hard time buying into the idea that I'm supposed to be eating something whose biological purpose is to act as a filter for contaminants. Yum!

              • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

                by durrr ( 1316311 )
                The liver is more favourable to compare with a chemical reactor than a filter, because it doesn't really filter anything, it's just a highly vascularized organ equipped with a vast array of enzymes.
                The kidneys have filtration units, but seen as a whole they are more a waste separator than a filter, nothing gets stuck in the kidney filters, they just extract metabolic waste from the bloodstream and dump it as urine.

                Cooked meat is just mainly denaturated proteins, the same for kidneys and livers. Then aga
        • by Gonoff ( 88518 )
          I have known a number of people from "northern states" who seemed to have a fear of anything particularly strong tasting.
          Texans, however, seem to have no such problem!
          • I have known a number of people from "northern states" who seemed to have a fear of anything particularly strong tasting.
            Texans, however, seem to have no such problem!

            The Texans that I've shared culinary experiences with seem to have a problem with the idea that you start good cooking with good ingredients, well prepared to show their strengths, and only use spices as a last resort to cover up the putrid taste of otherwise unfit-to-eat materials.

          • Strong-tasting foods tend to dilate the blood vessels. This is not a good thing in climates with cold winters, as it causes the body to lose heat more rapidly.
          • I have known a number of people from "northern states" who seemed to have a fear of anything particularly strong tasting. !

            I live in Iowa now. They put a little star next to vanilla ice cream on the menu indicating "hot and spicy". (I think I stole that from Dave Barry.)

            I've stopped using that joke with anyone outside the state, because they assume I'm not kidding. In reality, it's not that bad here, spice-wise. They do put mustard on the tables without special request. Don't try the BBQ. They've heard of it, but can't make it -- too scary. Over in Wisconsin, if you ask where to get barbecue, you are directed to Home Depot

      • by azalin ( 67640 )

        In related headlines: "Haggis - dish or dare?"

  • Haggis was originally banned on account of the sheep lungs in it. Witch doctors at the FDA were afraid it would spread tuberculosis. In the midst of a ton of depressing news, this is a story to celebrate. It represents another wound to the nannyocracy etouffee which is oppressing an ever larger part of the earth's population. I urge everyone to go out and sample real haggis - it is freaking awesome, especially with a good single malt whisky.
    • it is freaking awesome, especially with a good single malt whisky.

      Yeah, and I have a good bet on what the optimal order of consumption is.

      • it is freaking awesome, especially with a good single malt whisky.

        Yeah, and I have a good bet on what the optimal order of consumption is.

        There's ritual toast and recitation of Burns before you cut into it, yes.

    • I urge everyone to go out and sample real haggis - it is freaking awesome, especially with a good single malt whisky.

      I had a Scottish friend a few years back that told me Haggis was a big joke the Scots played on the English. "No true Scotsman would eat Haggis!" He exclaimed, "But any good Scotsman wants to see the look on an Englishman's face when he's chomping down on that kind of crap in the name of culture!"

  • From Wikipedia: Haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs) So unless it's retarded cheap why would you eat it?
    • Because it tastes damn good. A proper black pudding (or bordon noir for the french) is made from pigs eyes and blood, but is similarly tasty.

      My question would be: why is eating muscle normal and eating heart (a strong muscle) not?

      The short version, don't knock it, 'till you've tried it!

  • I bet NORML [norml.org] is desperately searching for the haggis lobbyists so they can hire them.
  • As long as its freshly caught. After a few days, it starts to go off. Weird thing too, freezing doesnt seem to work properly.

    Best option, go haggis hunting yourself and get a nice big one.

    • As long as its freshly caught. ... Best option, go haggis hunting yourself and get a nice big one.

      And although they are difficult to find, they are easy to catch on account of their left legs having a different length than their right legs.

  • I for one welcome our new Great Chieftains of the Pudding Race.
  • Here's the one's I like best [macsween.co.uk].
  • With access to sheep "parts", you could make your own. And there are sheep in the US. Homemade haggis was the way many a Scottish association got around the ban. Just tell the banquet hall that you're brining in a special ethnic dish and it's a deal breaker if they say "no". My society back in KC switched facilities rather than give it up.
  • ....said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. "We have had to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful."

    Only is the US would you get an Americanized Scottish American Society who expect to buy their haggis. Perhaps at a drive in?.

    Elsewhere they make their own. As the post above says..."they have sheep in the US". FFS.

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