I’m an adventurous eater. I’ve tried things like sea urchin, frog, foie gras, rat, alligator, and eel. During Canberra’s annual Multicultural Festival, I came across a cart covered in Scottish flags with the words “haggis and black pudding” on the banner. I was intrigued so I decided to try it, and I gotta tell you…it was such a surprising experience.
What Is It Anyway?
Haggis is a savory pudding consisting of oatmeal, liver, heart, onions, salt, and spices. It’s commonly associated with the food culture of Scotland. But whoever created this dish was seriously a character. Who comes up with the idea to chop up the liver, heart, and lungs of an animal, then cook it inside of its own stomach? Ever hear of a sausage casing, dude?
Black pudding is a sausage, and it actually is black. It’s a mix of pork fat, oats, and pig blood, which gets dark as it cooks. This results in something that looks undeniably suspicious. Black pudding is traditionally used in English, Irish and Scottish cooking.
The weirdest part is that this dish is most commonly served for breakfast…but that doesn’t stop people from putting it in ice cream.
And It Actually Tastes Good…
Haggis is a bit salty, and I totally prefer it to hot dogs (which are also made with some pretty questionable ingredients). It’s similar to minced beef in consistency, but the taste is more complicated and nuanced. None of the meat has an offensive flavor (even liver, which I usually HATE). I bet this would go great with some potatoes and gravy.
I’ve had pig blood curd in Thailand before, but I like the black pudding infinitely more. It’s heavily seasoned and reminds me of hamburger meat. The color is the only disconcerting thing about it. I’d definitely have black pudding again, and now I understand why the Brit’s keep having it for breakfast.
Don’t Believe Me?
In a world where wastefulness runs rampant, I can only see the benefits of this dish. If an animal has to die for your food why not use every bit of it? Haggis and black pudding aren’t half as bad as they sound. I dare you to try it and see for yourself.