#13 A Little Scottish Cookbook

#13 A Little Scottish Cookbook

Can anyone guess why I'm doing a Scottish cookbook today? Give up, it's Robbie Burns' 250th birthday! He was a poet-farmer who died at the age of 37 and many consider him the greatest Scot ever. Can anyone named the next two down on the list? Maybe Mel Gibson no, he just played some fellow named William Wallace in Braveheart. We'll list him as number two and you'll have to think of a number three on your own.

Tradition dictates that people all over the world will come together in his honor tonight and as a bag piper plays, the primeval haggis will be stabbed while they read his poem "Address to A Haggis". It goes on and on but my favorite verse is this one, be sure to roll your Rs as you read it with feeling.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like ony ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin', rich!

Don't worry, the haggis is already dead, it's actually a big fat sausage made with the lungs, liver and heart of a sheep. That is mixed with oatmeal and spices and boiled inside of a sheep's stomach. I know people who do this every year and they can tell you several places in town to buy your haggis so you won't need the recipe on page 44. I also know a family that makes a chocolate haggis, it's the same size and shape but my it tastes so much better. To tell the truth, I've never tasted a real haggis, I would give it a try since I have tasted English Black or Blood pudding. How much worse could it be and they do wash it down with a dram or two of Scotch.

There is one great song that Robbie wrote that I'm sure all of you know, Auld Lang Syne which we sing at midnight on New Years Eve. I guess most of us probably just hum along because who knows all the words, I sure don't. Anyway Happy Robbie Burns Day to my Scottish friend! I'm sure he'll have on his kilt today. Cookbook #13 is A Little Scottish Cookbook by Paul Harris.