Haggis

Probably the most popular Scottish dish is haggis. This rather unique dish contains mixture of sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs), onion, oatmeal, suet, various spices and salt. Everything is put in the animal's stomach or casing and simmered for about three hours.

Haggis, neeps and tatties

The Scotts usually serve haggis with "neeps" (yellow turnip) and "tatties" (mashed potatoes). Some good Scottish whiskey is drank. The haggis became part of literature. In 1787 the famous Scottish writer Robert Burns wrote the poem "Address to a Haggis".

It may sound strange but there is a traditional sport involving haggis. It is called haggis hurling. A competitor is standing on a whiskey barrel. He or she tries to throw edible piece of haggis as far as possible. The standard sporting haggis has weight of 500 grams. There is also a heavyweight category where the haggis has weight of about 850 grams. Some say that this sport is result of an ancient tradition. There are also those who claim that everything was invented as a practical joke for the 1977 Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh.