"scrapple" news and stories

Happy National Scrapple Day!

To the unfamiliar, scrapple may conjure the discarded scraps of meat fed to stray dogs -- and to the informed, it may not be such an aberration from the latter. Scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch dish made from pork scraps, which typically may include any combination of pork heart, ribs and liver. The meat is then cooked with seasonings and broth, thickened with cornmeal and then backed into loaf pans. Once baked and firm, the loaves are then cut into slices, which then get fried in butter, to be served at breakfast or brunch.

The dish seems to garner extreme love/hate attention -- but as adventurous eating continues to take hold, the "lard-core" will surely enjoy the appeal of scrapple. Here's a traditional recipe if you count yourself bold.

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In the month that houses the nation's premier evening of gluttony -- the average American consumes some 4,500 calories every Thanksgiving Day, not to mention seemingly endless leftovers -- it's no wonder November is a dreaded month for dieters nationwide. But despite its most famous celebration, the month also ironically serves as the healthy host to National Pepper Month, Vegan Month, National Pomegranate Month, and National Peanut Butter Lover's Month.

Excuses for culinary celebrations range from tame (National Sunday Day, Nov. 11), to obvious (National Turkey Day -- you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day), to practical (National Leftovers Day follows Turkey Day), to downright bizarre (Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, Nov. 9). So get cooking -- if only for the holidays that you can stomach.

Notable national food holidays for the month of November, after the jump...

Phillies scrapple. Photo: Melody Kramer, Flickr.

There is more to New York City and Philadelphia than cheesecake and cheesesteaks, but don't tell that to the U.S. Senate.

The most powerful elected representatives from both New York and Pennsylvania have made a polite World Series food wager on the eve of the baseball match-up. If the Phillies win, Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey will get New York cheesecake. If the Yankees win, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand get Philly cheesesteaks.

What cliché and unoriginal choices, especially since both those old standbys can be found in the food court of any American mall. They don't accurately reflect the soul of either city. What two foods best sum up these two complex metropolises?

Transcribed from the Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe Book
Culinary Arts Press 1964

Oatmeal Scrapple

3 lbs lean pork
1 large bone
1 lb. (about 5 cups) uncooked rolled oats
5 teapoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons onion juice

Put pork and bone into a large heavy kettle and cover with water; simmer until meat is tender. Remove the meat from bone and cool; put meat through fine blade of food chopper. Return meat to the liquid, bring to boiling, and stir in the rolled oats, seasonings and onion juice. Cook slowly for 1 hr. Pour the mixture into well-greased loaf pans and set aside to cool. Cover and store in refrigerator. When ready to serve, slice and fry as for Scrapple.

As the ongoing recession/inflation/credit crunch drives the cost of food higher and higher, British chain Sainsbury's has begun working to minimize food wastage. Meanwhile, ever-increasing numbers of consumers are cooking from scratch in an attempt to stretch their food budgets. Clearly, thrift is back!

As you rush around in your search for cheap things to eat, it's worth remembering that, in the kitchen at least, poverty can definitely be the mother of invention. Although cheap gas, greenhouse gardening, and factory farming drove down the price of food for most of the last century, the vast majority of human history has been characterized by the desperate search for sustenance. Keeping that in mind, here's a reminder about a few of the techniques that long-gone chefs once developed to preserve the harvest, get their vitamins, and avoid throwing anything away:

Organ meats: In the days before easy canning and greenhouse gardening, it was incredibly difficult to get the necessary daily allowance of vitamins. Lacking access to fresh fruits and vegetables, medieval farmers turned to organ meats. For example, rich in iron and Vitamin A, the liver was a dietary staple for generations. Similarly, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brains are also great sources of necessary vitamins. Much later, immigrants and the lower classes continued to eat these organs, as they were healthy and relatively inexpensive.