Haggis

Today's New York Times strikes a blow against historical research on behalf of Scottish national pride. Normally, I would disapprove.

But in this case, I must agree with the logic presented by Alexander McCall Smith. Just because haggis appears in a 17th-century English cookbook does not make the dish English.

Here's a taste:

"So the haggis is clearly Scottish, as Robert Burns understood full well when he wrote his famous poem in its praise. If one’s national bard writes a poem to a dish consisting of chopped-up offal cooked in a sheep’s stomach together with oatmeal and spices and secured with a curious pin, then that dish must be authentically national."