Haggis-makers across Scotland are up in arms today as they proudly defend the humble food’s origins following claims the ecipe for the traditional Scottish fayre was actually first pblished in an English book.
The brave woman making such a claim is food historian Catherine Brown, who seemingly discovered references to haggis in a book titled, The English Hus-Wife, dated from 1615.
However she added that she could not find any trace of Scottish haggis until much later in 1747.
The food historian implied that the book, by Gervase Markham, suggests the English were actually the first people to eat the dish, while the Scottish later made it popular.
Robert Patrick of the butchers Patrick of Camelon in Falkirk hit back saying, “I find it hard to believe. I think we can still call it Scottish.
“There could well be some recipe in England that’s similar.
“But the things that go in it are Scottish. There’s a lot of mutton and oatmeal in the product.”
Rightly so, Mr Patrick is very proud of the dish and its heritage, after he won the world-haggis maker title in 2003 and 2004, as well as being runner-up subsequently in 2007 and 2008. He added that he was unconcerned about the claims affecting his business though.
“I’m sure the customers will be as upset as me to think that England will steal our recipe,” he added.
Ms Brown said, “It was originally an English dish. In 1615, Gervase Markham says that it is very popular among all people in England.
“By the middle of the 18th century another English cookery writer, Hannah Glasse, has a recipe that she calls Scotch haggis, the haggis that we know today.”
Haggis is made from a mixture of oatmeal, liver, heart and lungs.
