I wonder if Robert Burns knew that his poem, written in 1786, would go on to inspire such a strong culinary tradition. Address to a Haggis was the first of Burns’ poems to be published in a newspaper, an indication of his growing success at the time.
According to the National Trust for Scotland, Burns wrote the poem to celebrate the strength of the ‘ordinary’ working Scotsman (a haggis-fed rustic) over those with more ‘continental’ tastes.
What is Burns Night?
We celebrate Burns Night on 25th January. The tradition of Burns Suppers started in 1801 on the fifth anniversary of his death. A group of Burn’s friends got together to celebrate his life by eating haggis and reciting ‘Address to a Haggis’.
Nowadays, Burns Suppers take place in more than 150 countries around the world. This includes the countries where many Scots migrated in the 19th Century: the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Here in Scotland, Burns Night is a welcome celebration that breaks the long dark nights of January. Many of us across the nation get together to enjoy a warming plate of haggis, neeps and tatties and toast the Scottish Bard.
Reducing food insecurity in Fife
Greener Kirkcaldy is a community-led charity working locally to bring people together, take positive action on the climate emergency and support people through fuel poverty and food insecurity.
As part of our work to reduce food insecurity we want to ensure nourishing, tasty food with a low environmental impact is available to everyone. Moving towards a plant-based diet is one way we can reduce our carbon footprint in the current climate crisis. There are also many health benefits to eating more plant-based foods.
We encourage everyone to try a plant-based haggis, whether it’s one you have bought or made. Vegetarian and vegan haggis makes up 30-40% of haggis sales so you can make your own using our recipe below or find one in most supermarkets.
