Haggis fritters at the Orchard restaurant in Edinburgh. [Photo/Agencies]

Scotland's national dish has been made for centuries.

Just before 5 in the morning, the slender streets of little Dingwall, a town in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, were completely silent.

No cars waited at the handful of stoplights downtown; even the bakers hadn't stirred. In the cool, still grayness, I tiptoed through the streets, marveling at the squat green hills that frame the town, feeling slightly disoriented, though I knew it must be impossible to get lost in such a snug place.

I rounded a bend and came upon what had drawn me to this sleepy town: George Cockburn & Son, champions of Scotland's first national haggis competition in 1976.

Ah, haggis. Before I'd gone to Scotland this year, I wondered what exactly made the dish - sheep's innards packed into sheep's stomach - qualify as a delicacy. But as an adventurous cook and eater, I pride myself in trying everything at least once, so I eagerly spooned a first taste of it into my mouth at a castle in Edinburgh. It was a revelation - intensely rich and meaty, with the earthy flavor of what my mother calls "spare parts" combined with the comforting muskiness of oatmeal. It instantly won me over.