Saturday, October 23, 2010

Save the haggis, och aye!


Via Roberta X we learn that climate change is threatening the future of that famous food, the haggis.

A vital ingredient to make the traditional Scottish dish is becoming increasingly hard to find: sheep lung. Many sheep have been infected with Lung Worm, which does not affect the rest of the sheep’s body, [but] does render the lungs inedible.



Haggis (image courtesy of Wikipedia)



“Lung worm has been at a very low level and did not cause serious problems in sheep but with the changing climate and availability of the parasite it is becoming a problem,” said Sandy Clark, a veterinarian at the Scottish Agricultural College in Thurso.

But haggis fans need not worry. Scottish butchers are sourcing their sheep lungs from Irish farms instead, where Lung Worm has not been a problem.


There's more at the link.

Nae mair Haggis? Och, t' bluidy Sassenachs an' theer wurrms bid fair tae ruin oor great Scots tradition!

Ahem.

(Peter slaps himself on the cheek, stops channeling long-distant Scots ancestors, reverts to reality.)

Where was I? Oh, yes.

There is, of course, the question whether Irish sheep lungs can possibly substitute for the genuine Highland article. After all, the cheeky Irish still insist that whisky is their invention! Next thing you know, they'll claim that Robert Burns was channeling Saint Patrick when he wrote his famous 'Address To A Haggis'!



Peter

6 comments:

Sendarius said...

Changing climate? Changing CLIMATE ?!?!?!?

I suspect husbandry techniques have changed more than the climate has.

DaddyBear said...

Haggis, it's what's for dinner!

Seriously, I've had haggis a couple of times, and it's not bad. The lady who made it lived in the American Southwest, and she livened up the flavor with chili peppers from her garden, so I can't say I've had the authentic Scottish version. When I can get my Irish wife to to go to Scotland, I'll try it there.

Anonymous said...

Haggis: It's no' just faire brekfuss anymaire!!...

...I've had haggis a couple of times, and it's not bad.

Then, 'tis clair, ye've no' had the genuine experience, laddie buck -

Haggis, 'tis said, is why true Scots were sa' bluidy fierce in battlin' the Sassenachs - Innyone who can eat that bluidy atrocity an' not die from throwin' up, has guts of iron an' naething to fear fro' battle!!

Emily said...

I had the opportunity to try haggis for the first time when I visited Edinburgh last month - it was quite good, and I ended up eating it on two separate occasions!

T'would be a sad thing indeed, for it to become less available.

Thomas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thomas said...

This reminds me about poi when I lived in Hawaii in the early 90s. A local radio station DJ made a joke on the air.
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?"
"The bad news first."
"The bad news is, Hurricane Iniki destroyed the poi crop."
"What's the good news?"
"The good news is, Hurricane Iniki destroyed the poi crop"