Scottish Haggis in the USA: A Mission (Almost) Impossible

With its well-preserved historical monuments and lush greenery, Scotland is an attractive country. Castles and unicorns spark imagination and a sense of nostalgia for times gone by. Every year, about 15,000,000 tourists from the United Kingdom and many more countries visit its landmarks. And while there, they inevitably taste the local cuisine and in particular a delicacy considered a typical Scottish dish—haggis. The ingredients of haggis reflect Scotland’s centuries-old sheep-farming tradition. It consists of chopped sheep liver and lungs, heart, oatmeal or oat flour, suet, onion, and spices, all stuffed in a sheep’s stomach. Trying haggis and appreciating its unique taste is considered a must for anyone visiting Scotland. The dish is so revered by local patriots that even the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns refers to it as a “Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race” in his poem “An Address to a Haggis.”

In today’s globalised world, the export of local specialities is a thriving business. As avid travellers, Americans have also come across haggis—and what’s more, they’d love to take it home or buy it in the United States. But they can’t. In 1971, the U.S. imposed a ban on the import of this dish because of its sheep lung ingredient. According to local health authorities, due to the method of slaughtering the animals and the specific microbiology of sheep, sheep’s lungs contain stomach acids and dangerous bacteria and are unfit for human consumption. These concerns of Americans are immediately dispelled when one looks at life expectancy statistics, which are nearly identical for Scots and Americans, and even the Scots have a slight advantage. Clearly, sheep lung eaters have not suffered because of their favourite pastime.

Over the years, attempts have been made to circumvent the ban, with Scottish and American producers substituting the controversial ingredient with lamb heart, but this is a betrayal of tradition, and everyone—from passionate home cooks to retailers—would like to see the authentic product sold freely in the U.S. Steps to lift the ban have already been taken by the Biden administration. For now, the import of lamb from the UK has been permitted, but the ban on eating sheep lungs has not yet been lifted. Haggis lovers in the States must make do with a substitute and a compromise recipe.

Dear friends of Training Centre Raya London, have any of you been to Scotland and tried their traditional dish? We’d love for you to share your thoughts on our Facebook page, and read this text in its English version, noting and learning any new words you might come across. Learning English has never been more fun and easy. Keep following us and discover facts and stories from and about the UK!

Author: Iveta Radeva