BURNS may have called it the great chieftain o' the puddin' race, but haggis has been voted one of the most revolting dishes in Britain.
It ranks eleventh in a poll to be published tomorrow in BBC Good Food magazine, making it less popular than spam, aspic or semolina.
The rank rankings are topped by tripe - the stomach lining of an ox, cow or pig.
David Dempsey, chef de cuisine at Amaryllis, Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred Glasgow restaurant, said he was disappointed that haggis had failed the taste test.
The Glasgow-born chef said the traditional Scottish dish was a favourite supper of his and could be turned into a gastronomic great.
''There are restaurants that do haggis, neeps and tatties layered up with whisky sauce,'' he said.
''I've done it myself for Burns night, turning it into quite a fancy starter.''
Mr Dempsey added that, even without modern variations, haggis was anything but humble when done properly.
''I think it's like anything - there are so many bad versions around that people who have tried it once may not have had the real thing,'' he said.
''The secret is to get the very best ingredients and make it in the traditional way.''
There are numerous recipes for haggis.
Most traditional versions feature a sheep's stomach bag filled with oatmeal, sheep heart and lights (lungs), and lamb or venison liver all mixed with chopped onion and spices.
Many of the top places in the hate list are filled by foods with slimy, slithery textures.
Most are animal products but there are a few veggie-friendly flops with tofu, soya bean curd, at number 13.
Sprouts are the most disliked vegetable but only make it to number 24 in the list, well behind snails, black pudding and crab sticks.
More unusual foodstuffs, almost forgotten to a younger generation, include junket, a blancmange-like blob made from curdled milk.
Paul Buckley, a consumer psychologist, said that food could often reawaken past experiences.
''If you were forced to eat cabbage at school, you may convince yourself you hate it because it's linked with unhappy memories,'' he said.
Some on the hate list are disliked because they come from ugly animals such as squid and snakes, he added.
Others, such as rabbit, put people off because they are chiefly associated with being fluffy pets.
Professor Adam Drewnowski, director of the nutritional sciences programme at the University of Washington in Seattle, said people were born with a natural sweet tooth and tended to dislike bitter flavours.
What we like least
1. Tripe.
2. Snails.
3. Oysters.
4. Black pudding.
5. Squid.
6. Crab sticks.
7. Sago.
8. Junket.
9. Kidneys.
10. Tapioca.
11. Haggis.
12. Mussels.
13. Tofu.
14. Spam.
15. Aspic.
16. Oxtail.
17. Rabbit.
18. Semolina.
19. Peanut butter.
20. Anchovies.
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