Read ‘Address to a Haggis’

This address is more than a celebration of a traditional ‘peasant’ dish. It is largely through Burns’s poem that the haggis has become a Scottish national symbol. This outcome could in part be because Burns himself is setting the haggis up as a symbol of Scots resilience, represented here by a dish said to have bred a hardy race of people. Burns contrasts such a diet with that of other nations, which fail to produce similar effects in the populace. In doing so, Burns is celebrating what is distinctive about Scottish culture.

Listen to ‘Address to a Haggis’

You can download the poem from the link at the bottom of this page