Robbie Burns Day, a celebration of the life and poetry of 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns, is observed annually by those of Scottish blood around the world on Jan. 25.
With the celebration comes haggis, a dish cherished by the Scots.
At least two Sault entrepreneurs supply haggis for customers.
“We’ve made haggis for several years. I’m an Italian making haggis for the Scots. It’s pretty funny actually,” said Lou Bruni, Bruni’s Fine Foods owner who spoke with SooToday.
“It consists of pre-cooked oats, beef liver, onion, hot pepper and salt and it’s stuffed in the large intestine of a cow. It looks like a ball about five or six inches in diameter and about six inches long. Then it gets simmered in water for 45 minutes to an hour to get it hot, then it gets broken open and served with Scotch as a toast to Robbie Burns,” Bruni explained.
As with all food he cooks, Bruni has tasted haggis.
“If you like all of the ingredients it’s not bad. If you don’t like liver you’re not going to like it,” Bruni said, chuckling.
He said he’s happy to go the extra mile for his Scottish customers.
“I love making it. I enjoy the fact I’m making something for someone to enjoy. That’s what I’m all about, whether it’s making haggis, sausage, special requests,” Bruni said.
Sault eatery and tavern The Whisky Barrel serves haggis along with other British fare year-round.
“I like to use lamb in our haggis but lamb can be hard to get sometimes. When I don’t use lamb I use pork liver,” said Dunbar Thompson, The Whisky Barrel co-owner and operator.
“I boil it for three hours, grind it up and mix it with oats, onions and spices. Traditionally it’s wrapped up inside a sheep’s stomach and then it gets boiled again but I wrap mine up and boil it in a sous vide (plastic pouch). But then I take it out of that pouch and serve the haggis on a plate without that casing.”
In keeping with tradition, haggis is served at The Whisky Barrel with turnips and potatoes.
Some recoil at the thought of food stuffed inside an animal’s stomach and served in that manner, but the stomach is merely a lining that gets discarded.
“Some people get turned off by the fact that it’s traditionally wrapped in a sheep’s stomach. They say ‘that’s gross.’ But it’s just meat and you discard the stomach, the sack,” Thompson said.
He said he sells “five or six” orders of haggis per month at The Whisky Barrel.
Haggis is a favourite for the Sault’s Helen Stewart.
Stewart was born in Scotland and moved to Canada as a child with her family in the 1950s but, as with most Scots, her roots run deep.
“You never lose that tie,” Stewart said.
She said she can't compare the taste of haggis with anything else.
“It’s very meaty with a lot of oatmeal. Some of it is spicier than others. It depends on the cook. It’s like an HP Sauce kind of spice. It has a taste all its own. You either like it or you don’t but everybody should give it a try at least once. It’s very filling and very healthy because of the ingredients,” Stewart said.
She is past president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 and branch manager.
Branch 25 will be holding its annual Robbie Burns Night Sunday Jan. 26 at 96 Great Northern Rd.
MacLeod Highland Dance Studio will be hosting its annual Robert Burns Dinner & Ceilidh Jan. 25 at the Marconi Multicultural Event Centre.
The haggis is ‘blessed’ by the reading of a Burns poem before it is served at Robbie Burns Night celebrations.
"There's always bagpipes and highland dancing. It’s a real celebration. There’ll be haggis, mashed potato and turnip as well as dessert. Our Ladies Auxiliary will be cooking ours. They’ve been doing it for years for us and they do a good job,” Stewart said of Branch 25’s upcoming Robbie Burns celebration.
Haggis can be purchased frozen from grocery stores in southern Ontario.
Branch 25 will be getting its Robbie Burns haggis shipped in from British Grocer, a British butcher and bakery shop in Burlington.
“Haggis is a taste of home. That’s exactly what it is. For me, for people born in Scotland, it’s a real attachment. If you have Scottish parents, Scottish ancestry, it’s a touch of home. You have to have it. In Scotland you can get it at any restaurant any time of year. It’s a staple food,” Stewart said.
“I never met a haggis I wouldn’t eat,” she said with a laugh.
