Amy Strauss - Pennsylvania Scrapple: A Delectable History (American Palate)

Published by American Palate

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Amy Strauss

All rights reserved

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.43966.298.4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017944971

print edition ISBN 978.1.62585.885.6

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For my mom and dad, Claudia and Mark Strauss, who raised me as a true Pennsylvania Dutch girl, with endless plates of crispy scrapple, soul-warming hogmaw and just-fried fastnachts.

To Terry Schwenk, who wasand always will bethe king of scrapple.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There is something humorous yet incredibly serendipitous that I dedicated months of my thirtysomething life to building a sometimes unexplainable narrative for the meatloaf of breakfast, scrapple.

It brings me so much joy to be able to share with my Pennsylvania Dutchbred family and my friends sprinkled through the Mid-Atlantic region that I penned a book on scrapple. I owe endless gratitude to The History Press for seeing in me the fire that feeds my scrapple-loving soul, so much so that it granted me this opportunity to share with you all the historical secrets I could scrape up on the porky delight. To Karmen Cook, I thank you for scanning the wild world of Twitter to scout me out for such a significant opportunity, and to Banks Smither, for being a terrifically cool, knowledgeable editor to guide me through this journey. Endless appreciation and applause is due to Ryan Finn, a true editing professional, who helped finesse and refine this delicious piece of work into what it is today. Most importantly, to Mat Falco (my rock, a real-deal all-star!), my sweet brothers (Joel and Jimmy Strauss), Rachael Schwenk and the Lady Gang (Audrey and Rachel Bauer, Jenna Butkovsky, Danelle Ferguson), I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your never-ending encouragement as I blindly worked my way through my first book.

To every butcher, manufacturer, chef and advocate who allowed me the time to enter their scrapple worlds, share their stories and humor my never-ending excitement for the subject matter, I thank you. Much appreciation is also due to every single man and woman who continues to work incredibly hard and through endless hours to produce scrapple so we can carry on our delicious obsessions with the darling meat slabs.

And to youyou must love scrapple, right? I mean, you are reading this book. God bless you!

INTRODUCTION

There are two types of people in this world: those who like scrapple and those who dont. Scrapple naysayers must be warned. When you try with an open mind a properly prepared slice of the down-home staple, your palate will undergo a euphoric textural playground unlike anything else experienced in the world of meat.

Its not quite sausage. Or bacon and pork belly. Its nowhere near Spam. Its basically the Carrot Top of meat products. Its ragtag medley of ingredients have long been a heated debate; theyre the most-talked-about-but-never-understood kid on the mystery meat block.

Scrapple is to Philadelphia what the crab cake is to Baltimore, the poboy is to New Orleans, the toasted ravioli is to St. Louis or the less-cool pork roll is to southern New Jersey. Through rose-colored glasses, or in simplest of terms, scrapple is mostly ground pork. Throw it in a frying pan until it reaches the crispest exterior shell and soon youll unmask a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth interior thats just dying to meet your taste buds acquaintance. It is a Pennsylvania Dutch classic. It is the breakfast of pork-loving champions, a piece of my heritage that so many dont understand. But I do, and boy do I have a story to tell you.

Scrapple has come a long way since its farm roots. It was the result of thriftiness and love of good eating that categorized the early German settlers. Sure, some still will carry on the tradition of making it in large vats on cold winter days for the family. But since the late 1800s, it has slowly transitioned into a mass-produced product, millions of pounds stacked like bricks in your local supermarket. The competition is fierce and the consumers are opinionated, but its certain theres a demand for the crudest of all pork products.

A classic scrapple breakfast with scrambled eggs. Amy Strauss.

Unlike the poultry industry, which evolved and affected the agricultural climate and economy, scrapple has survived as a niche business on the East Coast. Its production process has changed little since its days of old-fashioned hog killings on farmlands, and the family recipes remain intact, even when marketed under household names like Habbersett and Rapa.

Still, in 2017, scrapple is commonly known and eaten in the Mid-Atlantic region, most popularly in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Its strictly my Pennsylvania crowd that demands it, along with the Pennsylvania expats who have traveled to the coasts and longed for its taste. Even swashbuckler W.C. Fields, who originated from Philadelphia, had scrapple shipped to his Hollywood home as long as he lived. Cultural legend states that George Washington possessed fondness for scrapple that lasted a lifetime and had a Pennsylvania Dutch cook at his encampment in Valley Forge. And good ol Benjamin Franklin was also known to have a dear affection for it.

Praise be given to people like writer Frederick C. Othman, who after his first genuine taste of the Philadelphia classic in 1955 felt the need to blast his positive experience in the local newspaper. Made a new man of me; you feel like youll never be hungry again, he wrote, while doffing my hat to old-time Philadelphians who invented this. Its time I joined him in via written word with his scrapple-praising pursuits. Its time we gave scrapple some respect!

Duck Scrapple Bao Buns (with maple teriyaki, cucumber and chili) at Double Knot, Philadelphia. Amy Strauss.

Scrapple is a narrative for our country that includes an early chapter set in colonial times. Once an economy dish for German immigrants, the clever, captivating amalgam of ground pork and cornmeal that established the meat-starch union has been tested through time and stays true to its original composition and recipe.

Although created during lean times, this meal-and-meat slab of pork scraps (hence its name) has a cult foodie following. It has hosted the ability to attract low- and high-end chefs to get creative with it. There are even clever entrepreneurs making use of scrapple in off-the-wall ways you dont even eat (more on that later).

Scrapple isnt going anywhere, so be prepared. More than ever before, it is cropping up in classic and trendy breakfast dishes, available in independent and chain supermarkets, produced by local farms or small-town butcher shops and has earned permanent spots in restaurants and diners.