Haggis is growing in popularity, and not just in Scotland

FILE PHOTO: Haggis to be used at the world haggis eating competition sit in a pile before the event at the Birnam Highland Games in Scotland August 30, 2014. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

LONDON (Reuters) - Carried high by the cook on a silver platter behind a kilted piper at formal dinners, the haggis is the essential dish for anyone celebrating the birthday of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, on Saturday.

Now the spicy meat is more popular than ever, with exports up 136% over the past decade with sales to faraway places such as Hong Kong and Ghana as well as across Europe.