Yesterday, I came across a recipe book in my grandmother’s kitchen called Old Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book (1936). Some of the recipes inspired me to write about food that I cannot, and will not ever cook or eat. The first of these foods is scrapple, also known as ponhaws.
I have never tasted scrapple, but I have seen in on a plate many times. Usually, it is offered in the same sentence as bacon and sausage when you order a stack of pancakes at a diner. ("You want bacon, sausage, or scrapple with that?") What is scrapple, I always wondered. I knew it was some sort of meat product, but the grey color and grainy texture confused me to a point of disinterest. Even so, after stumbling upon a traditional recipe for the mystery meat I couldn't help but share my findings. Here, I will demystify scrapple:
So now I know, and now you know. Scrapple is mystery meat no more. Still, there is something about scraping the inside of a freshly halved hog's head that just doesn't sit well with me. Having said that, I suppose if you are going to kill the animal then it is best to use all of it, right? I know that there is no room for a hog's head in my kitchen but I'm sure there are people out there that would find this recipe intriguing. Any takers?
Happy adventuring!
That is very interesting, I never knew what scrapple was until now, I think that I may never try it now!!
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to dissuade people from trying new things! This is just a reference for how scrapple/ponhaws used to be made. Today, I'm sure the recipe is a bit different.
ReplyDeletebarf!
ReplyDelete(i'm too lazy to sign out of my dad's company's blog but it's maura. haha)