Haggis for Christmas

[augiebd]

I do like organ meats, liver and onions, heart, steak and kidney. Have had haggis once in Canada so without the lung. Other than that it was supposedly very authentic, a very old family recipe. It was not my favourite organ dish but I would eat it again. I would be curious to see how different recipes compared. The haggis I had was on the peppery side and I liked that.

 

[irishearl]

Fucking disgusting, all.

It could be worse. My mother's side of the family is Norwegian and, if I went for 1 of their staples, it would be lutefisk. But, you won't catch me within a mile of that stuff. Grew up on a farm outside of a very small South Dakota town which had a strong Scandinavian heritage. They had an annual lutefisk supper when I was a kid, but, thankfully, never got dragged to that.

 

[alaskanpiper]

It could be worse. My mother's side of the family is Norwegian and, if I went for 1 of their staples, it would be lutefisk. But, you won't catch me within a mile of that stuff. Grew up on a farm outside of a very small South Dakota town which had a strong Scandinavian heritage. They had an annual lutefisk supper when I was a kid, but, thankfully, never got dragged to that.

Lutefisk is definitely one of those foods that really makes me ask the question "why the eff would you do that to food?"

I've heard scandinavian fermented shark is one of the worst foods on the planet as well.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Chef Anthony Bourdain described fermented shark as "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing" he had ever eaten.[1]

Chef Gordon Ramsay challenged James May to sample three "delicacies" (Laotian snake whiskey, bull penis, and fermented shark) on The F Word; after eating fermented shark, Ramsay spat it out, but May was able to keep his down. May even offered to eat it again.[6]

On season two's Iceland episode of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern described the smell as reminding him of "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life," but said it tasted much better than it smelled. He described the taste as "sweet, nutty and only faintly fishy." Nonetheless, he did note of fermented shark: "That's hardcore. That's serious food. You don't want to mess with that. That's not for beginners."

On the second episode of the YouTube web series Uncredited, adventurers Minas Maroudas and Louis Glynn talked of the consistency of the fermented shark, calling it "like cookie dough".

In one of season five's final episodes of Animal Planet's River Monsters, Biologist and Angler Jeremy Wade mentions that the flesh "smells of urine" that has "a really strong aftertaste, it really kicks in. It really kicks in at the back of the throat after you take the first bite." He further states that the meat was really unlike anything he's tried before; that it is like really strong cheese but with a definite fish element.

Archaeologist Neil Oliver tasted it in the BBC documentary Vikings as part of examining the Viking diet. He described it as reminiscent of "blue cheese but a hundred times stronger".

Chef Ainsley Harriott, during his series Ainsley Eats the Streets, was unable to handle the heavy ammonia taste and described it as "like chewing a urine-infested mattress".

 

[irishearl]

Chef Anthony Bourdain described fermented shark as "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing" he had ever eaten.[1]

Chef Gordon Ramsay challenged James May to sample three "delicacies" (Laotian snake whiskey, bull penis, and fermented shark) on The F Word; after eating fermented shark, Ramsay spat it out, but May was able to keep his down. May even offered to eat it again.[6]

On season two's Iceland episode of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern described the smell as reminding him of "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life," but said it tasted much better than it smelled. He described the taste as "sweet, nutty and only faintly fishy." Nonetheless, he did note of fermented shark: "That's hardcore. That's serious food. You don't want to mess with that. That's not for beginners."

On the second episode of the YouTube web series Uncredited, adventurers Minas Maroudas and Louis Glynn talked of the consistency of the fermented shark, calling it "like cookie dough".

In one of season five's final episodes of Animal Planet's River Monsters, Biologist and Angler Jeremy Wade mentions that the flesh "smells of urine" that has "a really strong aftertaste, it really kicks in. It really kicks in at the back of the throat after you take the first bite." He further states that the meat was really unlike anything he's tried before; that it is like really strong cheese but with a definite fish element.

Archaeologist Neil Oliver tasted it in the BBC documentary Vikings as part of examining the Viking diet. He described it as reminiscent of "blue cheese but a hundred times stronger".

Chef Ainsley Harriott, during his series Ainsley Eats the Streets, was unable to handle the heavy ammonia taste and described it as "like chewing a urine-infested mattress".

That pretty much describes the aroma of lutefisk. I've never gotten it close to my mouth however to get a taste. The aroma always put me off.

 

[alaskanpiper]

That pretty much describes the aroma of lutefisk. I've never gotten it close to my mouth however to get a taste. The aroma always put me off.

Yeah I'm good on the piss fish.

 

[shanez]

?I love pan rabbit!

I'm just gonna have to say boo on this one. We didn't always have a lot of money growing up but rabbits were cheap to hunt and plentiful. They're not horrible, it's just that I've eaten far too many.

 

[shanez]

If we're just talking organs in general, duck liver is without question the best. Nothing even comes close.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm just gonna have to say boo on this one. We didn't always have a lot of money growing up but rabbits were cheap to hunt and plentiful. They're not horrible, it's just that I've eaten far too many.

You're in luck! There's no rabbit in scrapple (pan rabbit).

I do love rabbit though!

 

[logs]

on The F Word; after eating fermented shark, Ramsay spat it out,

With Ramsay, barfing is part of his shtick. He used to do it all the time on Kitchen Nightmares, typically when he was testing a restaurant's signature dish. They kept a bucket by his dining table so he could purge after eating an imperfectly prepared entree, like he'd be given a mouthful of death.

 

[shanez]

Question for those that have had truly authentic haggis, what is the texture like?

The stuff I've had wasn't "chunky" but more like minced or even ground.

 

[saintpeter]

Lamb's Lobes...is that a nice way to say lungs?
Lambs Lobes (45%) Oatmeal (19%) Water, Suet, Onion, Salt, Spices

 

[alaskanpiper]

I'm just gonna have to say boo on this one. We didn't always have a lot of money growing up but rabbits were cheap to hunt and plentiful. They're not horrible, it's just that I've eaten far too many.

Ditto, but finding new and inventive ways to cook them helped a lot. Look up damn near any goat recipe from a country with a low GDP and you can make rabbit work. Poor people know their way around a shitty cut of meat off a cheap/wild animal.

 

[TinCup]

Question for those that have had truly authentic haggis, what is the texture like?

The stuff I've had wasn't "chunky" but more like minced or even ground.

Yeah you could describe it as either ground or minced in texture but because of the other ingredients it's not 'wet' like a beef mine would be

 

[unadoptedlamp]

My great grandmother was Shawnee

I'm curious to know if Native status in the U.S. gets passed down through the female line?

In a small town in France, I went to a swanky restaurant with my wife. Two things were on the menu, and one was obviously fish. I decided to be adventurous and didn't ask my wife to translate the other thing. Don't worry babe... we're in France! What could possibly go wrong with the food?

When the plate came, I was presented with a very fancy tube of something; a light sauce dribbled on top.

I still have no idea what I ate, and to this day, do not care to know. I'll probably vomit as I should have years ago.

There were unusual valves and nubs and tubes rolled into another big tube. It all smelled of stale ammonia. I had a hell of a time choking that back to show the stereotype snotty french waiter what was what, because he presented it with a smirk. The asshole.

Whatever it is, I guess it was the French version of haggis. If you want a rubber texture plate of stale piss, they've got you covered! Nothing has come close to topping that, and I've eaten a lot of mysterious food in my time.

Maybe they were just messing with me and the chef was doing up his zipper in the back while they all had a great laugh. I don't entirely trust the French anymore.

 

[irishearl]

Lamb's Lobes...is that a nice way to say lungs?
Lambs Lobes (45%) Oatmeal (19%) Water, Suet, Onion, Salt, Spices
View attachment 12540

Went with the beef simply because I don't like the taste of lamb. For that reason I'm not a fan of shepherd's pie, but, rather cottage pie.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Went with the beef simply because I don't like the taste of lamb. For that reason I'm not a fan of shepherd's pie, but, rather cottage pie.

Shepherd’s pie is a personal (and cultural) favorite. We love it with lamb also, but usually make it with Moose and call it “Hunter’s Pie”. A real rib sticking comfort food meal.

 

[irishearl]

Shepherd’s pie is a personal (and cultural) favorite. We love it with lamb also, but usually make it with Moose and call it “Hunter’s Pie”. A real rib sticking comfort food meal.

More so than cottage pie, I like "mince and tatties" where I put the mince mixture over mashed potatoes.

 

[TinCup]

You know I was perfectly happy ignoring the haggis I have in the freezer until its needed for a real emergency but this thread is not helping, I may have to defrost it for the festive season... ??

 

[irishearl]

You know I was perfectly happy ignoring the haggis I have in the freezer until its needed for a real emergency but this thread is not helping, I may have to defrost it for the festive season... ??

View attachment 12594

Plan on eating mine on Hogmonay.