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| Haggis is English, historian says | Haggis is English, historian says |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A haggis recipe was published in an English book almost two hundred years before any evidence of the dish in Scotland, a historian has claimed. | |
| Historian Catherine Brown said she found references to the dish inside a 1615 book called The English Hus-Wife. | Historian Catherine Brown said she found references to the dish inside a 1615 book called The English Hus-Wife. |
| The title would pre-date Robert Burns' poem To A Haggis, which brought fame to the delicacy, by at least 171 years. | The title would pre-date Robert Burns' poem To A Haggis, which brought fame to the delicacy, by at least 171 years. |
| But former world champion haggis maker Robert Patrick insisted: "Nobody's going to believe it." | But former world champion haggis maker Robert Patrick insisted: "Nobody's going to believe it." |
| 'Popular in England' | 'Popular in England' |
| Ms Brown said the book by Gervase Markham indicated haggis was first eaten in England and subsequently popularised by the Scots. | Ms Brown said the book by Gervase Markham indicated haggis was first eaten in England and subsequently popularised by the Scots. |
| The first mention she could find of Scottish haggis was in 1747. | The first mention she could find of Scottish haggis was in 1747. |
| Anything that's to do with Scotland, everybody wants to get a part of Robert PatrickHaggis maker | Anything that's to do with Scotland, everybody wants to get a part of Robert PatrickHaggis maker |
| Ms Brown told the BBC the author made it quite clear haggis was enjoyed by everyone, not just Scots. | Ms Brown told the BBC the author made it quite clear haggis was enjoyed by everyone, not just Scots. |
| She said: "It was popular in England until the middle of the 18th Century. Whatever happened in that period, the English decided they didn't like it and the Scots decided they did. | She said: "It was popular in England until the middle of the 18th Century. Whatever happened in that period, the English decided they didn't like it and the Scots decided they did. |
| "We had Robert Burns come along who saw in it a very practical dish using up the odds and ends and making something good out of them. | "We had Robert Burns come along who saw in it a very practical dish using up the odds and ends and making something good out of them. |
| "Obviously the English turned up their noses at it and ate their roast beef, and the Scots for 350 years have been making it their own." | "Obviously the English turned up their noses at it and ate their roast beef, and the Scots for 350 years have been making it their own." |
| Her findings are due to be broadcast in a documentary on STV in Scotland. | Her findings are due to be broadcast in a documentary on STV in Scotland. |
| 'Scottish product' | 'Scottish product' |
| Mr Patrick said the idea haggis originated in England was akin to claims by the Dutch and Chinese to have invented golf. | Mr Patrick said the idea haggis originated in England was akin to claims by the Dutch and Chinese to have invented golf. |
| He added: "Anything that's to do with Scotland, everybody wants to get a part of. | He added: "Anything that's to do with Scotland, everybody wants to get a part of. |
| FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE More from BBC World Service | FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE More from BBC World Service |
| "We've nurtured the thing for all these years, we've developed it, so I think very much it is a Scottish product. | "We've nurtured the thing for all these years, we've developed it, so I think very much it is a Scottish product. |
| "It's one of the mainstays of my business's economy so we'd never give it up." | "It's one of the mainstays of my business's economy so we'd never give it up." |
| James Macsween, whose Edinburgh-based company makes haggis, said it would remain a Scottish icon whatever its origin. | James Macsween, whose Edinburgh-based company makes haggis, said it would remain a Scottish icon whatever its origin. |
| He said even if the haggis was eaten in England long before Burns made it famous, Scotland had done a better job of looking after it. | He said even if the haggis was eaten in England long before Burns made it famous, Scotland had done a better job of looking after it. |
| And he added: "I didn't hear of Shakespeare writing a poem about it." | And he added: "I didn't hear of Shakespeare writing a poem about it." |