Food - Haggis; black/blood pudding; full Scots breakfast, times to eat

Here:  Haggis and Blood Pudding
Full Scots Breakfast
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I.  Haggis Baggis.

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Haggis delicious.  Robert Burns composed an Address, a celebratory poem to its presentation.  Orate at http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/address_to_a_haggis.htm. 
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This dish is a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, some spices and oats and etc. It was first referenced in an English text in 1615, see http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?uri=%2Ffood%2F&go=toolbar&q=haggis/; and, at this site, is said to have been around in England centuries before it appeared in Scotland. See http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?uri=%2Ffood%2F&go=toolbar&q=haggis+recipe /.
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Fair use thumbnail of a haggis from http://www.highlandflingproducts.com/products-list/0/c17/  While you are there, look up the white mealy pudding. We get no kickbacks for references, but britishfooddepot.com looks good for other British food products.
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Haggis: It is made this way:
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Get various sheep innards (stomach, liver, heart, tongue), some suet, onions, oatmeal, saltandpep, and start.  For a modern version, see http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/haggis-recipe/index.html .  From the BBC:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/haggis_66072.shtml/ -- you can use an ox secum, a lamb lung, and you will need spices for this one (coriander, mace, nutmeg).
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Compare the haggis to our more familiar hot dog idea: stuffing a casing.  Haggis uses the stomach, and a real hot dog uses intestines.  If you are unfamiliar with the haggis ingredients, think hotdog in new shape and with minced-chopped parts plus grains as in the texture of our sausage, not a puree goo. Feel better now? Hot dog ingredients? Try to find out. They won't tell you. See http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/hotdog.asp/ or http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Hot-Dog.html/ . Or http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question177.htm/  At least the Brits are honest about their ingredients.
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Earlier ethnic versions probably would have you catch and butcher your sheep.  Go to your local Big Supermarket and ask for the ingredients, and follow instructions. Then report.
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Then try haggis lasagne, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe230.shtml

II.  Blood pudding, or black pudding. 

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This is more difficult to eat if it is not freshly made, unless you are a chewer. It dries out once sliced and fried up, so eat fast and get it fresh. Arrive at the breakfast buffet early; or the pub tastybits. We like it, but get used to a gumminess.  Fair use thumbnail from http://www.highlandflingproducts.com/products-list/0/c17

 
Get onions, oatmeal, pork fat, and pig blood. And seasonings.  See http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mostof_blackpudding.shtml and http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mostof_blackpudding. In France, find boudin noir.  The product is also found in Cajun and other Southern USA cooking.
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Most people seem to buy it, then incorporate it into whatever else they are making. Scroll down to the list of recipes and choose one. Or go to http://www.sausagelinks.co.uk/black_pudding. It is also known as blood pudding. Go to the recipe list and do your own. For the Luxembourg version, that uses cabbage instead of oatmeal, see Luxembourg Road Ways, Black Pudding.

Full Scots Breakfast

Full Scots or Scottish breakfast:  See the photo at the BBC blackpudding site.  Look up a picture. Add to it: grilled tomatoes, baked beans, and a variety of breads. Excellent. See also http://www.flickr.com/photos/cocovan/365416/.
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Eating times in Scotland are limited in the rural areas. You may stop for an off-hours meal and only get cheese, if anything - such as at midday, when you may want much more. When that happens, go to a local grocery and buy what you need instead, if the cheese is not enough.  In many countries, "restaurant" means full food; other places that entitle themselves a cafe, or some pubs, do not offer full meals.
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Eating at pubs is a good idea. They are less expensive than tablecloth restaurants, and usually offer a good selection of main dishes at a proper mealtime. Many offer a carvery - a pub where there is a whole roast out for slicing and sandwiches, platters.