14% of Scots 'don't know what haggis is'

Published on Thursday 22 April 2010 13:37

ALMOST one in five Scots don't know what a haggis is, and a staggering 20 per cent of Britons believe it is a living, hilltop-dwelling animal, a survey showed today.

• How the 'haggii' are depicted in scotsman.com's annual Haggis Hunt.

The poll showed 41% of people across the UK have no idea what the traditional Scottish dish is.

According to the survey, 18% of Britons believe the myth that haggis – a mixture of offal, oatmeal and other ingredients, cooked in a sheep's stomach – is a real beast which roams the Highlands.

Another 15% think it is a Scottish musical instrument while 4% believe haggis is a character from Harry Potter.

Of the 1,623 people interviewed, nearly 800 were Scottish and 14% of them did not know what haggis is.

Scotland's famous deep-fried Mars bar also made a mention in the study of Scottish food, with 76% of those polled having eaten one. Over 90% wanted more deep-fried chocolate available as a takeaway snack.

Nearly 70% wanted haggis to be available as a takeaway option.

The survey was commissioned by takeaway service Just-Eat.co.uk.

A spokesman said the study was held to find out what British people think of traditional Scottish food.

David Buttress, managing director of Just-Eat.co.uk, said: "We are in Glasgow spreading the word that ordering takeaway online is the smarter option, and we thought it'd be interesting to see just how much people know about haggis across the UK.

"It turns out, not a lot – but everyone seems open-minded."

The site offers users choice from more than 4,500 takeaway restaurants in the UK and claims to service around 40,000 meals a day.

It was set up in Denmark in 2000.