A football fan who combined Scottish and Brazilian dishes is seeing his culinary creation become a surprise hit, as the two nations prepare to face off at the World Cup. Retired engineer Jimmy Main, 75, brought together haggis and coxinhas, a popular Brazilian snack, in celebration of both cultures.
The Birth of Haggisxinha
Coxinhas are teardrop-shaped dumplings made from dough and breadcrumbs, typically filled with chicken. Mr Main swapped chicken for haggis to create something unique and full of flavour. His "haggisxinha" creations aim to celebrate both cultures and were heavily inspired by his Brazilian wife, Luciana Main, who taught him the recipe.
He has since turned the idea into a business venture, converting half of his garage, dubbed the "man-cave", into a kitchen that adheres to strict health and hygiene standards. Mr Main, from Easterhouse, Glasgow, now sells his product to numerous restaurants and shops across Scotland, sometimes producing up to 10,000 haggisxinhas a day.
Inspiration and Growth
Mr Main explained: "It all comes down to my wife, who is Brazilian. She had been in Scotland for some time, and due to a visa requirement, she had to go back to Brazil and reapply from there. But during her time here, she would cook coxinhas, and I thought it would make a good business venture. So I started making them and supplying people who were having parties, and I was very surprised once I got started, as I discovered how many Brazilians were actually in Scotland. The business grew, and eventually I had to invest in a machine to make the coxinha, and they became very popular."
Scottish people have also embraced the snack, with orders coming from Edinburgh, Perth, Stirling, and mainly Glasgow. Mr Main advertised his creations on social media, quickly amassing over 70,000 views on Instagram alone. He said: "I decided to do a small promotion video and put it on Facebook and Instagram, and it exploded – so much so that I can't cope and I'm going to have to move into larger premises where I have the facility to freeze, bag, and transport the food."
World Cup Anticipation
With the World Cup approaching, interest has surged as Scotland prepares to play Brazil. Mr Main, who supports both teams, said: "I'm really looking forward to that. I support both teams, so may the best team win! I hope that as people sit down to watch the Scotland v Brazil game they'll get torn into the haggisxinha."
Personal Story
The couple first met while Mr Main was on holiday in Chile. They kept in touch and started their relationship afterwards. Luciana came to visit him in Scotland in 2020 with her children, and when lockdown began, she was unable to travel back to Brazil. They made the most of it and got married, recently celebrating their five-year anniversary. Mr Main said his wife was supportive from the start: "She thought it would be a good venture, and to give it a try. She's always been very supportive of me, and likewise. I love the help she gives me. She's very considerate, and she's a very helpful, loving person. I'm very lucky."
Visa Hopes
Mr Main is hopeful that the income from his haggisxinha business will help secure a visa for his wife, who was previously rejected because he is retired. He commented: "She was refused a visa simply because I'm retired, and during us pursuing a visa it was very difficult because I'm a pensioner. I live on a pension, but my house is bought and paid for, and to make up the shortfall of my income, is basically why I started the business. So if I have a good, healthy bank account and I can support my wife and my stepdaughter, hopefully they'll be in Scotland soon to help me expand the business, keep it going, and potentially, if it grows big enough, I can hire some more people." He joked: "I'd like to give Linda McCartney a run for her money!"
