If you’re looking for an adventurous and intriguing meal this winter, consider trading in your favorite wine and chicken parm dinner for a glass of Scotch whisky and a plate of haggis at a traditional Robert Burns supper. This annual Scottish custom is a celebration of the life and work of Romantic poet Robert Burns, an influential figure in literature and political philosophy whose prolific body of work includes the text of “Auld Lang Syne.”
The first Burns supper was celebrated by the poet’s friends five years after his death. Since 1803, the tradition has been observed on or near January 25, Burns’s birthday.
The meal is defined by haggis, a pudding traditionally made from sheep organs, onion, oatmeal, suet and spices, and cooked in the animal’s stomach or a sausage casing. (Don’t worry; if that’s not quite your speed, vegan haggis can also be prepared.) This is usually served with neeps and tatties—mashed turnips and potatoes. Other courses are also often part of the meal.
Aside from the cuisine, festivities include bagpipe playing, speeches, toasts, and the reading and singing of some of Burns’s works, of course. The serving of haggis, for example, is usually paired with the reading of his poem “Address to a Haggis.”
South Jersey Celtic Society Burns Club chair Paul Kennedy addresses the haggis. Photo: Courtesy of Drew Miller
The supper hosted by the South Jersey Celtic Society (SJCS) closely follows the typical Burns supper traditions while also attempting to create a fun and unstuffy atmosphere, offering live music throughout the night, gifts, and slightly more liberal attire than other Burns suppers.
“People that come for the first time, especially in the last 10 or 15 years, we continue to see them show up time and time again,” says Paul Kennedy, committee chair for the SJCS Burns Club and junior vice president of the Robert Burns World Federation. “We have to cut it off at 120 [attendees] because we sell more tickets than space allows.”
The Ladies of Chaste Treasure at the South Jersey Celtic Society’s Burns Supper. Photo: Courtesy of Drew Miller
The SJCS supper originated with about 30 people meeting in the upstairs of a bar. The organization is now set to host its 20th annual Burns supper on February 1. For more information and to buy tickets before they sell out, visit sjceltic.org.
No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.
