User Contributed Dictionary
Pronunciation
- , /ˈskræpəl/, /"skr
Extensive Definition
Scrapple is a savory mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined
with cornmeal and
flour, often buckwheat flour. The mush is
formed into a loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then fried before serving. Scraps of
meat left over from butchering, too small to be used or sold
elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best
known as a regional food of Delaware, South
Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Maryland.
Composition
Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, heart, liver, and other scraps, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are discarded, the meat is reserved, and (dry) cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned, and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, and others are added. The mush is cast into loaves and allowed to cool thoroughly until gelled. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.Commercial scrapple often
contains these traditional ingredients, with a distinctive flavor
to each brand. A few manufacturers have introduced beef and turkey
varieties and color the loaf to retain the traditional coloration
derived from the original pork liver base.
Vegetarian
scrapple, made from soy protein
or wheat
gluten, is offered in some places. It is seasoned to be much
sweeter than typical meat scrapple.
Preparation
Scrapple is typically cut into quarter-inch to three-quarter-inch slices, and pan-fried until browned to form a crust. It is sometimes first coated with flour. It may be fried in butter or oil and is sometimes deep-fried.In composition, preparation,
and taste, scrapple is similar to white
pudding, which is popular in the British
Isles.
Scrapple is usually eaten as a
breakfast food, and can be served plain or with apple
butter, ketchup,
pancake syrup, or even mustard and accompanied by eggs. In some
regions, such as New England,
scrapple is mixed with scrambled eggs and served with toast. In the
Philadelphia area, scrapple is sometimes fried and then mashed with
fried eggs, horseradish and ketchup.
History and regional popularity
Scrapple is arguably the first pork food invented in America. The culinary ancestor of scrapple was the Low German dish called Panhas, which was adapted to make use of locally available ingredients. The first recipes were created more than two hundred years ago by Dutch colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries.Scrapple is strongly
associated with Philadelphia,
Baltimore,
Washington
D.C. and surrounding eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland
and Delaware. Among the Pennsylvania
Dutch and in Appalachia,
scrapple is known as pawn haas or pon haus, a term hailing back to
the old German dish. It can be found in most supermarkets throughout the
region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases. It can
sometimes be found in frozen form in cities as far away as Los
Angeles.