Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (2024)

By

Elaine Lemm

Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (1)

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 09/11/20

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Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (2)

This Gaelic saying so neatly sums up the attitude toward food in Scotland: "Smairga nitarcuisairbiadh," which translates to "he who has contempt for food is a fool." Meaning,there should be a love and enjoyment of Scottish food, both traditional and modern. The country's affinity for their cuisine can easily be seen in these 14 favorite Scottish recipes.

Haggis, porridge,and whiskey are just a few of the foods and drink the Scots have created over the years, making the best use of the offerings nature handed to them from the rugged mountains, lakes, sea lochs, and streams, as well as the fertile valleys and moorlands.

Scottish food is steeped not just in the landscape but also in the history and heritage of the country, which though part of the United Kingdom, still maintains its unique identity which you will find in the following recipes.

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  • All About Haggis

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (3)

    Haggis is not merely for Burns Night (a celebration in January commemorating the life of a Scottish poet)but is a true traditional dish of Scotland loved and eaten there as well as in many other parts of the world.

    Haggis is made from sheep pluck (the often-discarded parts such as lungs, heart, etc.), which is minced and mixed with oatmeal, suet, and seasonings and then stuffed into the sheep's stomach, sewn, and cooked. The meat and the method may sound off-putting, but the combination of ingredients is delicious—you simply must try it.Haggis is the meat in that most famous of Scottish recipeshaggis, tatties, and neeps.

  • 02 of 14

    A Bowl of Scottish Porridge

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    Discover the healthy and nutritious Scottish breakfast dish of porridge, a long-standing recipe that was originally cooked in a pan and stirred with a woodenspurtle(stick). The use of oatmeal in this recipe makes this dish a healthy start to the day. Slow-release carbohydrates will sustain you from breakfast through lunchtime.

  • 03 of 14

    Tattie Scones

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    Tattie scones are a traditional part of a full Scottish breakfast and are sometimes also called potato scones; you may also hear them referred to as fadge or potato bread in Ireland. They are quick and easy to make and are a useful way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.Perfect fora breakfast plate—or any other time of day!

  • 04 of 14

    Cullen Skink

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    Cullen is a small town in Northeast Scotland and the home of one of Scotland’s most famous dishes,Cullen skink. It is a hearty soup and traditionally made with Finnan haddock (smoked haddock), potatoes, and onions. Cullen skink is also known as smoked haddock chowder in other parts of Britain. You can also useArbroath smokies—haddock that have been smoked over hardwood in and around the seaside town of Arbroath (hence the name)—a very traditional Scottish smoked fish.

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  • 05 of 14

    co*ck-a-Leekie Soup

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    co*ck-a-Leekie soupis essentially a peasant dish and has many regional variations—some going back centuries, revealing just how important this dish is to Scottish food. There are recipes with chopped grilled bacon, others withbeef stockor Jamaican pepper, someeven with stewed prunes in the finished dish thanks to French gourmet,Talleyrand. Whichever way you make this easy recipe, it is sure to be a winner.

  • 06 of 14

    Scottish Stovies

    Ask 100 Scots for a traditional stovies recipe and you will get 100 different answers—everyone has their own version (and of course theirs will be the best).

    Stovie means "bits from the stove," which essentially means all the leftover bits from a Sunday roast. Not that you have to be restricted to the pickings from your Sunday lunch—stovies—which is basically a meat and potato stew—can also be made using a tin of corned beef or some cooked minced beef or sausages.

  • 07 of 14

    Rumbledethumps

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    You just have to love this silly-soundingname which in no way explains what it is, but it is still fun. A dish of Rumbledethumps is the Scottish way of using up the leftover mashed potatoesand other vegetables to create a hearty, sustaining casserole-like side dish (or you can eat this on its own). So easy to make, you will fall in love with it.

  • 08 of 14

    Scottish Oatcakes

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (10)

    Oatcakes are to Scotland what a baguette is to the French. The flat cakes made mainly from oats have for centuries been considered the Scottish national bread. They are quick and easy to make and are a delicious snack or accompaniment to cheese.

    Continue to 9 of 14 below.

  • 09 of 14

    Scottish Shortbread

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (11)

    Though Scottish shortbreadis traditionally eaten on NewYear'sEve, this shortbread recipe is too good to save for just one night! The all-butter recipe makes for a melt-in-your-mouth cookie. Be sure to handle the dough as little as possible and to use cold hands and tools to achieve the "shortie's" signature light and crumbly texture.

  • 10 of 14

    Tipsy Laird

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    Tipsy laird is essentially the same astrifle, the pudding that has graced British tables for centuries. Also a traditional part of Burn's Night, this dessert is not only delicious but also pretty to look at. Layers of sponge cake, raspberries, custard, and whipped cream are flavored with a bit of whiskey (instead of the British sherry), which can be eliminated if serving the dish to children.

  • 11 of 14

    Scottish Cranachan

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    The traditional Scottish Cranachanis a dessert that is often served at celebrations. The red raspberry puree layered with whipped cream flavored with whiskey and honey create a festive treat that is bursting with flavor. Toasted oats add a nutty taste and crunchy texture.

  • 12 of 14

    Scottish Tablet

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (14)

    Scottish tabletis for those with a sweet tooth—this fudge-like candy is exceptionally sweet. The recipe here calls for four pounds of sugar! But the good thing is just a little bite should satisfy your craving. Feel free to add flavorings such as peppermint.

    Continue to 13 of 14 below.

  • 13 of 14

    Clootie Dumpling

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (15)

    Clootie dumplingsare very different from what Americans know as dumplings—either the pouch-like Asian appetizer or the biscuit-style topping for a Southern stew. The Scottish dessert is more of a fruitcake, combining oats with currents and spices, as well as suet—animal organ fat.This hearty pudding is very much at the heart of Scottish celebrations including both ​HogmanayandBurn's Night supper.

  • 14 of 14

    Dundee Cake

    Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (16)

    Dundee cake can also be called a Scottish Christmas cake (though it is eaten year round) and iseasily identified by the almond decoration around the top. It is essentially a fruitcake traditionally including almonds, whiskey, and orange peel.

Not Just Haggis—These 14 Scottish Recipes Show the Cuisine's Diversity (2024)

FAQs

What is haggis made of answer? ›

haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices.

What traditional Scottish dish is banned in the US? ›

Legality. In 1971, it became illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lung, which constitutes 10–15% of the traditional recipe. The ban encompasses all lungs, as fluids such as stomach acid and phlegm may enter the lung during slaughter.

What food did the Scottish bring to America? ›

If you like sour cream, pancakes, clam chowder and that Yankee staple known as the New England boiled dinner, you can thank the Scotch-Irish settlers who sailed into Casco Bay nearly 300 years ago.

What is the cultural significance of haggis? ›

Scotland's iconic dish began as a nod to the necessities of harder times, when using as much as possible of a slain animal was essential. But while some cuts of meat could be salted or dried for preservation if not eaten immediately, internal organs were far more perishable.

What is the Scottish haggis? ›

Haggis (known as 'tagais' in Scottish Gaelic) is a dish made from the liver, stomach or heart of sheep or cows. Whatever meat is used is usually mixed with onion, oatmeal and suet before being boiled in the animal's stomach.

What are the main ingredients in haggis? ›

Simply lamb, beef, oats, onions and spices, nothing more, nothing less. Haggis is basically like an oaty, spicy mince and a great source of iron, fibre and carbohydrate with no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives.

Why is Scottish haggis banned in the US? ›

It was long illegal to import the dish from its ancestral home of Scotland, and Americans have been forbidden by law from making dishes that include sheep lungs since 1971. Yes, haggis' list of ingredients includes sheep lungs, as well as the animal's heart and liver.

Is black pudding banned in the US? ›

Black Pudding: A delicacy from the U.K., this dish contains sheep lungs, making it illegal to import to the U.S.

Is haggis banned in Canada? ›

Haggis isn't banned, but that which is sold in Canada can't contain sheep's lung. So, it could be argued that if haggis must contain sheep's lung to be called “haggis,” then, yes, it is banned in Canada.

What is Scotland's national drink? ›

Scotland's national dish is haggis, a savoury meat pudding, and it's traditionally accompanied by mashed potatoes, turnips (known as 'neeps') and a whisky sauce. Which brings us to the national drink – whisky. Over 100 distilleries in Scotland produce this amber-hued liquid, many of which can be explored on a tour.

What fruit is native to Scotland? ›

The distinctive wild cherry is a fast growing deciduous native to Scotland, found in mixed and beech woodlands throughout the country. It's also known as 'gean' and its botanical name is Prunus avium.

What's a full Scottish breakfast? ›

So, what is a full Scottish breakfast? Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

What do Americans think haggis is? ›

Traditional haggis is banned in the US as an original recipe contains sheep lungs which were made illegal to import in 1971; this may have sparked additional mystery around the item, leading to an old tradition of tricking American tourists into thinking haggis is an animal, which is an old joke in Scotland, according ...

What is black pudding in Scotland? ›

Black pudding is another traditional Scottish dish that is very similar to haggis as they are both made with the same ingredients: onions, pork fat, oatmeal and spices. Contrary to haggis, black pudding is made from pigs' blood, which holds all the ingredients together.

What is haggis made of now? ›

Traditionally, Haggis comprises of sheep's offal, mixed with oats, suet, onion, spices and is cooked inside a sheep's stomach. Today, the haggis that is widely available in supermarkets and served commonly in restaurants is made from either lamb, beef, pork, or sometimes venison.

How to prepare haggis? ›

Wrap the haggis in foil, put in an ovenproof dish with some space around it, then pour in boiling water so it comes about 2.5cm (1in) up the sides of the dish. Cook for about 1 hour 45 mins until piping hot throughout (topping up water as needed). Remove skin and clips before serving.

Do haggis still exist? ›

A large number of wild haggis still roam the moors and machair of the Western Isles and, despite the Isles of Lewis and Harris having a strict Sabbatarian tradition, the Hebridean Haggis Hunt is one of the few events that takes place on a Sunday across all of the islands – including Lewis and Harris.

Why does haggis taste like? ›

Haggis has an earthy, gamey flavor due to the offal; the oats give it nutty flavor as well. The liver in the mix also lends of bit of a classic paté flavor. Haggis is scooped out of the casing when served and has a crumbly texture. Even in Scotland, haggis is an acquired taste.

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