January 25th Burns Day

Today is the day many Scots celebrate Rabbie Burns, The Bard, felt to be Scotlands National Poet by many, or as Snootipedia describes him as a "poet and lyricist". Sounds a bit pretentious, for such a common man born into poverty and who grew up looking after the cattle. Born exactly 200 years before me and living only 37 years, he developed a tremendous legacy of Scottish language.

Many will eat haggis and drink whiskey at numerous Burns Suppers around the world. These are generally pretty formal and stuffy events, based upon my experience of attendance at one in Singapore about ten years ago. Generally, drunken people get up and talk funny and then tuck into haggis and the required embellishments. Although I am quite partial to haggis now and again, whiskey you can keep for the most part.

A little background for the uninitiated.

Fae Scottish Wikipedia

Haggis is a traditional Scots dish. It is a wechtie pudden traditionally served wi chappit neeps an tatties.

Altho the'r monie recipes, some uisin deer emmledeug, for ordinar it's makkit wi the follaein ingredients: sheep's hert, liver, an lichts, minced wi ingan, aitmael, shuet, spices, and saut, mixt wi bree an traditionally byled in the beast's painch for several hoors. It is amang the maist muckle kinds o sassenger. The'r recipes athoot maet an aa, speceifically for vegetarians, that tastes gey seimilar tae the maet-based receipts.

There's even a wee Haggis poem by Robert Burns. This is the first verse of Tae a Haggis, spoken prior to the ritual decapitation of the poor wee beastie prior to being devoured.

"Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the Puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy of a grace As lang's my arm."