Haggis Was Served on Board Captain James Cooks Ship Endeavour

HMS Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel that Lieutenant James Cook commanded to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia on his first voyage of discovery from 1768 to 1771.

James Cook’s first voyage circumnavigated the globe in the ship Endeavour, giving the botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander the opportunity to collect plants from previously unexplored habitats

Haggis was served on board Captain James Cooks ship Endeavour, anchored off New Zealand, in celebration of the birthday of a Scottish officer who was on board. (Captain Cook was born in Yorkshire of Scottish parents).

Haggis (Scottish Gaelic: taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach though now an artificial casing is often used instead. According to the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique:

“Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour”.

It is believed that food similar to haggis—perishable offal quickly cooked inside an animal’s stomach, all conveniently available after a hunt—was eaten from ancient times.