Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Scrumptious Scrapples

By Ian Kleine

What is a scrapple, you say? Scrapples are one of the food faves around the state of Delaware. They're made from pig parts, well for the fact that it doesn't contain almost any pork since scrapples consist of almost all body parts of the pig.

It may sound highly-unappealing but the food has become one of the more recognizable treats around the region. Most legends would say that scrapple started in Pennsylvania, while others would argue that it came with the settlers from Germany (the region of Lower Rhine) who decided to finally live in Philadelphia.

To make scrapple, the things you'll need are pork scraps (anything that comes from the pig, but be considerate and leave the icky-stuff out), water for boiling, cornmeal and buckwheat flour for consistency and salt and pepper to taste. The ingredients would remind you of a meaty polenta, and it should. You'll see just in a bit.

Boil all the pork into the water or broth. Once it reaches near boiling, slowly add both cornmeal and buckwheat flour in. Stir well. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes at low heat. Cool in any pan and refrigerate. When the mixture has set/hardened, cut into serving portions and fry. Serve with ketchup, syrup or any condiment. Delaware has a festival for this, called the Apple Scrapple Festival.

It is usually held around the month of October. It's a fest of scrappley goodness and more, and everyone is encouraged to attend. It's a whole weekend of food, fun and excitement. There's also a carnival, street dancing and a beauty contest.

There are lots of things to see in Delaware.And not just your typical scrapple. There are a lot of varieties, some delicious and some unheard of. Visit the festival when you have a chance!

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