[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Haggis tragedy

[GulPlum]

At 02:45 30/11/03 , Tracy wrote:
>rofl!!!
>
>I'm sure somebody on this list has eaten haggis.  I have not - can
>you describe the taste?  Is it comparable to the flavor/consistency
>of any more "common" foods?  Don't tell me "it tastes like chicken",
>lol!  If given the opportunity I'd at least try it once.

It tastes like.... well, I'm not quite sure what, but certainly NOT 
chicken! Is it perhaps the only foodstuff in that regard? And I've tasted a 
lot of things most people would never consider trying, and indeed, most 
things tasted like chicken, though usually with some kind of qualifier:
crocodile: rancid chicken
frog: chicken breast in a fish sauce
snail: chicken in garlic sauce (admittedly, the thing about snails isn't 
the taste but the texture, which is unlike anything else I've ever tried)
horse: chicken leg (which surprised me, as I expected it to taste more like 
venison)
and the first time I tried snake meat, I thought I was being conned (i.e. 
that I had actually been given slivers of chicken) until I saw it being 
prepared.

Given that haggis usually has a large cereal content (oats, barley), and as 
the meat content is minced (don't forget that it's meant to be made from 
sheep entrails) and is heavily spiced, the texture can be very "un-meaty". 
I suppose the closest thing one can compare it to would be a spicy lamb 
burger. Some of the haggises I've tasted have been quite revolting (due to 
the particular combination of herbs and spices), but some have been very, 
very tasty indeed.

I must admit that I've never tried making one from scratch myself though...

(List of recipes: http://www.smart.net/~tak/haggis.html, and one I 
particularly liked:  http://www2.wcoil.com/~highlndr/haggis.html)