Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus,[1][2] is traditionally amush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a rural American food of the Mid-Atlantic states(Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, andMaryland). Scrapple and pon haus are commonly considered an ethnic food of thePennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases.
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[edit]Composition
Locally called "everything but the oink" or made with "everything but the squeal",[3] 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 to the pot and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, black pepper, and others, are added.[2][4] The mush is formed into loaves and allowed to cool thoroughly until set. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.[5]
A few manufacturers have introduced beef[6] and turkey varieties and color the loaf to retain the traditional coloration derived from the original pork liver base. Home recipes for chicken and turkey scrapple are also available.[7][8]
[edit]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. Scrapple can also be broiled; this is a good cooking method for those who like their scrapple crispy.
Scrapple is usually eaten as a breakfast food, and can be served plain or with apple butter, ketchup, jelly, maple syrup, honey, or even mustard and accompanied by eggs, potatoes, or pancakes. In some regions, such asNew England, scrapple is mixed with scrambled eggs and served with toast.[citation needed] In the Philadelphia area, scrapple is sometimes fried and then mashed with fried eggs, horseradish and ketchup.
[edit]History and regional popularity
Scrapple is arguably the first pork food invented in America. The roots of the culinary traditions that led to the development of scrapple in America have been traced back to pre-Roman Europe.[9] The more immediate culinary ancestor of scrapple was the Low German dish called panhas, which was adapted to make use of locally available ingredients, and it is still called "Pannhaas," "panhoss," or "pannhas" in parts of Pennsylvania.[10] The first recipes were created by Dutch colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries.[11] As a result, scrapple is strongly associated with rural areas surrounding Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and surrounding eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula. Its popularity on the Delmarva Peninsula is celebrated annually during the "Apple-Scrapple Festival" in Bridgeville, Delaware.
In composition, preparation, and taste, scrapple is similar to the white pudding popular in Ireland,Scotland and parts of England and the spicier Hog's pudding of the West Country of England.
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