The What Is Scrapple?! Blog

A few years ago, the NY Times pulled together a chain of editorial letters about scrapple from 1872. Like most discussions on scrapple, it starts off with a passionate supporter going on and on about how awesome this little-known breakfast meat is. And also similar to today, the detractors voice their disgust, unable to get over how and what scrapple is made of and insist it's terrible. Same story, different century.

But what I find most fascinating is how much the initial scrapple lover sounds exactly like scrapple lovers of present day.

Of course The Most Interesting Man in the World eats his scrapple the correct way:

Scrapple on, my friends.

Update (04/18/2012): Dolly Womack — co-owner of Hughes Delaware Maid Scrapple — left some good news in the comments of this post:

May looks good for us opening. We are down to the small stuff now and equipment is ordered and coming in.

All of you who have been obstaining from scrapple because it's Hughes or it's nothing, will hopefully be able to get your scrapple on within the month!
 

Update (03/11/2012): Delware Online has a super-detailed article on Hughes' successes and struggles since Dirty Jobs, the fire, and beyond.

Some excerpts:

On production and why they didn't start making it at another plant:
Normal production from the staff of seven is 8,000 pounds a week. Abruptly, it was down to zero. The workers -- all family members, many of them with homes adjacent to the plant -- had to go on unemployment. Briefly, Quillen considered having his scrapple made at another manufacturer's plant -- before he realized that would mean sharing the recipe. "I ain't giving my trade secrets away," he said.

The mounting expenses of getting back in business:
Yet getting back on track hasn't been simple, or cheap. An $18,000 hood fan. $6,500 meat grinders. A $27,000 panner for pouring the mix out so it can be cut into blocks. "That's just three items," Womack said. "Then we have everything else that has to be brought in here."

Dolly on when they'll be producing scrapple again:
"Every time we say, something happens," she said. "I'm hoping by the end of April. At first I was hoping everybody would have it on their table for Easter breakfast, but I don't see that happening."

Check out the full story here. Lots and lots of great stuff on Hughes Delware Maid Scrapple. I highly recommend reading it if you're a fan.

Original Post (03/01/2012):
Back in August 2011, the Hughes Delaware Maid Scrapple building caught on fire and was destroyed (which makes me feel guilty for thinking about how mouth watering all that scrapple cooking up at once would be). The Hughes family quickly put a plan into place to rebuild and get back to scrapple-making.

Confirmation is an important ritual in a lot of young Christians' lives. Family and friends from all over come together to enjoy the beautiful moment.

And like most coming-of-age celebrations, along with the happiness and congratulations are plenty of gifts! Typical confirmation gifts are money, a gift card, or some sort of religious token (e.g. jewelry, books, rosaries, etc).

Sure, these are all nice and carry a lot of meaning, but is that what a young adult really wants as they are going through this rite of passage?

Scrapple lover Dana doesn't think so:

Do you watched the Food Network show Chopped? I don't. But about a week ago I got a few messages that I should be watching at that exact moment because the chefs on the show were cooking with scrapple!

So what the heck is Chopped and why aren't they always cooking with scrapple?

In short, Chopped is another one of those cooking competition shows. Each episode, four chefs are pitted against one another doing their best to cook a fantastic dish in 30 minutes that is created from "mystery ingredients" discovered only seconds before the clock starts ticking.

Normally the ingredients, I imagine, are chosen by some expert chef who is a show consultant. But this specific episode was a "Viewers' Choice." Fans of the show were allowed to vote on what crazy ingredients they wanted to see the challengers using.

Naturally, when the public is given a voice they make wise decisions, and that's how scrapple made it on the show. Awesome, right? The chefs did not agree.

It's so dang catchy it'll be in your head all day long.

THE SCRAPPLE SONG video:

The Scrapple Song lyrics:
Grind up a pig
Put it in a can
SCRAPPLE!

Geo grew up on the Maryland Eastern Shore. Scrapple has a home there. It's easy to find in the grocery store, for sure, but it's also not too hard to find folks that make it themselves.

To little-Geo's horror, his family did just that. And when he saw what went into it, well, I'll let him tell the story:

Why isn't scrapple naturally gluten-free? Let's look at the typical scrapple ingredients:

• Pork
• Pork Skins
• Pork Livers
• Pork Fat
• Pork Hearts

Mmm, sounds delicious, and completely gluten free! Come one, come all, my celiac friends, and dig in to some scrapple!

Wait, not so fast! That's not everything! 

Oh right. Scrapple isn't just pork scraps.

Let's have a quick rundown on the basics of how scrapple is made:

Scrapple lover, Steph, sent me this scrapple story about the first time she was wowed by our favorite breakfast meat. Not surprisingly, it happened late one night while drunk in a diner. Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that one...

A few years ago a blogger for the Baltimore Sun held a Scrapple Poetry Contest. When I found this article recently, I could hardly contain my excitement. Until I read the winners. BORING! Who needs high art when it comes to scrapple?

But a scrapple haiku? Quick and savory, and though it might not be the highest quality, at least you know what you're going go get -- just like scrapple!