Finally! Some good news: US to lift 21-year ban on haggis

[cali]

Smuggled and bootlegged, it has been the cause of transatlantic tensions for more than two decades. But after 21 years in exile, the haggis is to be allowed back into the United States.

The "great chieftan o' the puddin-race" was one of earliest casualties of the BSE crisis of the 1980s-90s, banned on health grounds by the US authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient ‑ minced sheep offal ‑ could prove lethal.

Some refined foodies might insist it always has been and always will be: in the words of Robert Burns, in his Ode to a Haggis, looking "down wi' sneering, scornfu' view on sic a dinner". But now, as millions of Scots around the world prepare to celebrate Burns's legacy tonight with an elaborate, whisky-fuelled pageant to a boiled bag of sheep innards, oatmeal, suet and pepper, its reputation has been restored, on health grounds at least.
Severin Carrell on the US lifting Scottish haggis ban, imposed during BSE scare Link to this audio

For the past two decades, Americans of Scottish descent ‑ of whom there are at least 6 million ‑ have been forced to celebrate Burns' night without a true haggis, much to their distress.

There are stories of Scots smuggling in a haggis for their starving cousins, risking deportation in the process. Others are said to have secretly tried to create homemade, bootleg haggis, desperate to sample that particularly peppery concoction.

Meanwhile, butchers in the US have tried, and failed, to make their own versions of the pudding without using the vital ingredient: sheep. "It was a silly ban which meant a lot of people have never tasted the real thing," said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. "We have had to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/24/america-haggis-ban-lifted-burns

[old mark]

1. Yeah, but don't try to take it on an airliner.......nt

[rfranklin]

2. I smoked it once and freaked out!

I will never touch that stuff again.

[YOY]

4. DUzie!!!

n/t

[maddezmom]

3. pretty funny.

:D We actually have friends that live in Doha and they bring back items(pork) from the UK in cryovac labeled as lamb.

[immoderate]

5. Happy entrails!

:toast:

--imm

[Captain Hilts]

12. Does this mean they'll take our chitterlings and scrapple?

[Warpy]

6. Why the hell was it made from beef in the US?

The sale of mutton and innards is perfectly legal here and the southwest, prime sheep country, could have been the manufacturing center for all displaced Scots who love the stuff.

Oh, I'll never eat it, sheep meat goes through my digestive system like a wildcat, backwards. However, there's no need for a perversion of the dish using cow instead of sheep. I can only think there was a supremely lazy manufacturer out there.

[MineralMan]

11. It's pretty tough to find mutton for sale here, and I've looked.

Pity, too. A crown roast of mutton is one of the world's great pleasures. Lamb won't do, although a crown roast of lamb is also delightful. But it's not mutton.

[HipChick]

16. I get mutton at ethnic grocery stores..

[MineralMan]

21. Most of what I find in the Halal markets in the Twin Cities

is lamb. I haven't found a halal butcher that actually offers real mutton.

It seems odd. At the turn of the century 19th-20th, mutton was one of the main meats in the American diet. Now, it's virtually impossible to find. It's a shame.

[RaleighNCDUer]

30. Because the cattle barons won.

Haven't you ever seen a western?

[phantom power]

7. We cannot allow a haggis gap!

[Greyskye]

8. They're allowing importation of this weapon of mass destruction?

How is this good news? :shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

10. It's not good news! Scots come here to get away from that crap!

[Captain Hilts]

9. Why do you think Scots come over here? To get away from haggis! BAD news!

Sean Connery and Susan Boyle can carry their own!

Ugh!

[reformist]

22. +1 LOL

[Captain Hilts]

13. First, the Bay City Rollers, now, THIS. Ugh!

[KamaAina]

14. Just you wait. Deep-fried pizza shall be next!

Seriesly. :puke:

[HipChick]

17. I liked the Bay City Rollers..I still have my tartan gear somewhere..

[Jennicut]

15. Just what America needs. More of this:

[aquart]

37. I like parsley.

[FSogol]

18. I wouldn't eat 21-year old Haggis

:crazy:

[MineralMan]

32. I'd eat haggis with a 21-year-old, though.

[blueworld]

19. Equal competition with French & Italian tripe...eeeeyuuuuuu! n/t

[Deep13]

20. Doesn't America produce enough of its own garbage?

I will stick to honoring Burns with Scotland's other well-known food product.

[bridgit]

23. Just in time as the perfect accent to a plater of boiled Valentine's Day thistles

[Captain Hilts]

24. What says "I love you" like a plate of haggis? Oooh...I didn't need to see that!

[Captain Hilts]

25. People are unrecommending this thread!

[Captain Hilts]

26. I guess it makes the alternative of beans, cheese, sprats or eggs on toast look good. nt

[mac56]

27. Just in time for Burns Night!

January 25th

[no_hypocrisy]

28. It tastes better after each beer.

[Captain Hilts]

29. HuffPost: How to enjoy your haggis

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-walker/how-to-enjoy-your-haggis_b_435753.html

"...against importing haggis to the United States will soon be lifted. In preparation for this, here are some tips on how to enjoy your haggis.

Run, don't walk, to your local Scottish restaurant. There's usually one on every corner, next to a Starbucks. You want to beat the crowds and it's nice to get a little exercise in before a big, delicious meal.

Listen to Scotland's second national treasure (after haggis), singing phenom Susan Boyle, as you eat your haggis. I assume the Scottish restaurant will be playing her album anyway, but you can never be too careful. They might be playing a Billy Connolly record or something, which is fine, but not what you want. In any case, you should bring your own listening device.

Witnessing the preparation of any meal enhances the experience, but more so with haggis. Ask the chef if you can watch them make the mixture of sheep's heart, liver, lungs, oatmeal and various spices. But the best part is staring at it as it boils in an animal stomach for three hours. You'll be visited by visions of Robert Burns and Mel Gibson. Just don't be tempted to dip in there before it's done. Patience is key!

Take seven shots of whiskey before eating your meal, and seven more as you're eating it.

Do this for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday for the rest of your life!"

[Fire1]

33. Yeah, you need whiskey with THAT shit! Ugh! Gross. n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

31. Never had haggis - but isn't it just a kind of mutton sausage?

I can't see why it would be worse than any other kind of sausage.

[Captain Hilts]

34. It's like sausage, only worse, FAR worse! Leftovers from English oppressors. nt

[bikebloke]

35. I had haggis, tatties and neeps in Scotland.

I liked the haggis and tatties. You can have my neeps, though.

[omega minimo]

36. cali is spamming the board

with haggis! :rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

38. Bada BING!

[omega minimo]

40. heheh

:evilgrin:

[krabigirl]

39. haha, I didn't know it wasn't allowed here.

[IDemo]

41. I'm an American of Scottish descent

And wouldna' touch the stuff. :puke:

[Captain Hilts]

42. Same here. Not even if they gave us back our seat in the House of Lords.