Pork roll gets all the love, what about scrapple?
As pork roll mania hits Trenton with two festivals set for Saturday, May 26 at Trenton Social and another at Mill Hill Park let’s talk about another breakfast meat although it’s not made in the capital city — scrapple.
Readers either turned up their noses or thought yum with the mention of one of the most interesting food items celebrated throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Scrapple served up as “the poor man’s meat” which meant the delicacy landed on our family’s dinner table. The Parker family voiced a common theme employed by pig farmers: We use everything but the oink or squeal.
In other words, from snout to tail nearly every part of the pig can be considered for consumption, even pigs feet whether pickled or boiled.
Parts of pigs, like head, heart, liver even bones, not considered prime menu items represent ingredients used to manufacture scrapple also known by Pennsylvania Dutch as Paanhaas or pan rabbit. The boiled pig parts are then combined with corn meals and herbs before being shaped into small loaves.
Scrapple appears as small cold rectangular shapes of, well, scrap. Small slices of the famous food item are then dusted in flour and pan-fried until golden brown.
Usually a breakfast item, scrapple delivers an ultimate eating experience when served with grits and eggs.
While pork roll remains a famous Trenton product, people searching for an interesting food should consider scrapple.
If scrapple fails to deliver culinary satisfaction then visit Trenton for a fantastic pork roll celebration that continues the city’s motto that “Trenton Makes and the World Takes”.