National Scrapple Day: Love It Or Hate It?

Here at Farmers’ Almanac, we love exploring different regional foods and cuisines and learning about their history and origin. With November 9 being National Scrapple Day, we thought we would “dig in” to some facts about this unusual breakfast food enjoyed by the folks in the Mid-Atlantic region, where it is most popular. For those not familiar with it, scrapple has been called “mystery meat” and takes a little getting used to. So what is it, exactly? See the Britannica entry on scrapple for a short history.

What Is Scrapple?

Also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus (which translates literally to “pan hare,” or rabbit), scrapple is said to have been invented by 17th- and 18th-century German colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania. As a result, you will find scrapple as a regional favorite in the rural areas near Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and eastern Virginia.

Created so that hungry, hard-working, prudent rural immigrants could make use of all manner of foodstuffs, scrapple originally consisted of a mixture of pork scraps (head, brains, heart, liver, skin) and other trimmings, boiled with bones attached for flavor (later discarded once a suitable broth was achieved). It was then simmered with cornmeal, wheat flour or sometimes buckwheat flour, onions, and spices like sage and thyme. The final result was poured into bread pans, cooled overnight, sliced, and pan-fried.

How Is Scrapple Served?

Formed into loaves and pan-fried, scrapple was typically served at breakfast with apple butter, ketchup, mustard, honey, or maple syrup. While today’s scrapple, available primarily in Mid-Atlantic-area grocery stores, follows different standards using FDA-approved animal anatomy, it is still a tasty tradition served alongside sunny-side-up eggs and toast. With the current trend toward lighter, healthier eating, scrapple is also seen in a later incarnation made with turkey instead of pork, or with beef for a different flavor entirely. Scrapple is also appearing more and more on the menus of heritage-based restaurants in Brooklyn, NY, and other places. The Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville, Delaware, held the second weekend of October, draws thousands every year.

Lead image by Stu Spivak, Wikimedia Commons

Though it takes a little time and patience, why not try these recipes and surprise family and guests with an established Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast treat?

How to Fry Scrapple So It Doesn’t Fall Apart

• Slice thin and cold. 1/4 to 3/8 inch is right. A warm slice crumbles.
• Pat dry, dust lightly with flour or cornmeal. Helps the crust set.
• Use a heavy pan and butter or rendered lard. Cast iron and medium heat get the best edge.
• Do not crowd the pan. Leave a thumb-width between slices.
• Flip once. Five to seven minutes per side. The crust should sound crackly when you tap it with a spatula.
• Serve hot. Crisp on the outside, soft and steamy inside. Maple syrup on the side, never poured straight on top.

Traditional Scrapple Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 whole pork butt, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
• 4 whole hocks, fresh
• 1 whole onion, peeled and cut in half
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• Water
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
• 3 cups white cornmeal
• 3 cups yellow cornmeal
• Clarified butter for pan frying
• Applesauce or maple syrup

Instructions:

1. In a large stockpot, add pork butt, hocks, onion, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Barely cover with water and simmer over low heat until pork is tender and meat falls off the bones, about 2 hours.
2. Drain and reserve the stock. Pour the solid contents onto a sheet pan so that you can easily discard the celery, onions, peppercorns, bay leaves, and all of the bones. Pull the meat completely off the bones, being careful to remove all small pieces of bone.
3. Add the meat to a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. Do not over grind.
4. Measure 1 gallon of stock and return it to the pot with the meat, cayenne, black pepper, salt, and sage. Bring to a simmer over low heat.
5. Add the cornmeal and stir, stir, stir. Simmer until smooth and thick, about 15 minutes. Add a little stock or water, if needed, to ensure a smooth texture.
6. Pour into 3 loaf pans and refrigerate until solid, preferably overnight. Unmold, slice, and fry in clarified butter until golden brown. Serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

Turkey Scrapple Recipe

A great way to use up leftover holiday turkey for brunch the next day.

Ingredients:

• Turkey bones and skin
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup flour
• Water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Leftover turkey meat and scraps
• Maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Simmer skin and turkey bones, cleaned of meat, in 5 cups water to make stock measuring 3 cups.
3. Discard skin and bones.
4. In a food processor, grind leftover turkey meat to measure 4 cups.
5. Mix cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper with 1 cup water. Add to the measured broth and ground turkey. Stir well.
6. Bake in a well-greased small roaster or Dutch oven about two hours, stirring occasionally. If a bit of brown crust adheres to the sides of the roaster, scrape it into the scrapple.
7. Put into a loaf pan and chill. Slice and fry in shortening or oil until golden brown. Serve with syrup.

Scrapple FAQ

For more regional food reading from the Almanac kitchen, see our companion guides: what the heck is poutine?, viva la Cuban sandwich, and turnip vs rutabaga.