Haggis Hurling World Championships

Haggis Hurling

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

"The Haggis Must Be of Traditional Construction: A Tender Boiled Sheep's Heart, Lung and Liver With Spices, Onions, Suet and Oatmeal and Stock Stuffed in a Sheep's Paunch, Boiled for Three Hours."

- Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide

The rules also dictate that the haggis must be "packed tight and secure, with no extra 'skin' or 'flab,'" so that competitors, poised on a platform such as half a whisky barrel, can toss Scotland's unofficial national dish as far as possible without the haggis bursting. If you're Alan Pettigrew you can throw a 1 1/2-pound haggis, which most closely resembles a grapefruit-sized kidney stone, 180 feet 10 inches.

Controversy has surrounded the history of haggis hurling, as it was long believed that Scottish women in the 17th century brought a lunch of steaming haggis to toss across a wee stream to their laboring husbands. In 1977, Robin Dunseath wrote the definitive guide to the history and rules of the game, The Complete Haggis Hurle. And then, 27 years later-was it scotch-induced remorse?-he admitted that the origins of the game were a definitive hoax.

Not a game restricted to the gullible, Scotland sponsors the annual World Haggis Hurling Championships, and Sarnia, Ontario, plays host to the North American Haggis Hurling Championship, each fighting for the title of Most Necessary Waste of Food.

Hungry for more haggis? Hurl as much as you'd like at www.haggishurling.org.

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