What does haggis mean?
Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made from minced sheep's offal, typically including the heart, liver, and lungs, combined with oatmeal, onions, and spices. It is traditionally encased in a cleaned sheep's stomach and cooked until firm. Recipes and ingredients can vary, and modern versions may substitute other meats, but the classic form is a defining feature of Scottish food culture. Haggis is especially associated with Burns Night, the annual celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns's birthday, and is commonly served with neeps and tatties. Outside Scotland, the word usually refers to the finished dish and may appear in preparations such as haggis pizza or haggis tart. For visitors to Scotland, haggis is one of the most recognizable culinary specialties, while for many Scots it remains a familiar food with strong cultural and festive associations.
nounA traditional Scottish dish made from seasoned minced sheep's offal, usually including the heart, liver, and lungs, mixed with oatmeal and commonly encased in a sheep's stomach before being boiled or baked.
- A traditional Scottish dish of seasoned minced offal and oatmeal, usually encased in a sheep's stomach and cooked.
"We sampled haggis with crisp neeps and tatties at a Burns Night supper."
"The haggis was served with mustard and freshly baked bread."
"This restaurant offers haggis pizza as its most popular starter."
The regular plural is haggises, but haggis is normally treated as a mass noun when referring generally to the food.
"The caterer prepared several haggises for the festival."
Haggis takes center stage at Burns Night, when Robert Burns's birthday is celebrated with a traditional Scottish feast.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does haggis come from?
The word is English and has long been used in Scotland for this traditional dish. Its deeper origin is uncertain, so it cannot confidently be assigned to a particular Gaelic, Norse, or other linguistic source, although references to the food in English writing date back to the early modern period.
How haggis is actually used
The word is strongly associated with Scotland and Scottish culinary tradition. In other regions, it often appears on restaurant menus as a distinctive or novelty food rather than as a familiar everyday term.