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Scrapple is chopped or ground pork and cornmeal mush, cooked and shaped in a loaf pan, cooled, then sliced and browned in butter to serve. It is a true American specialty of the Pennsylvania Dutch (who called it ponhaws or pawnhaus). It was originally made from ‘scraps' of pork.

As you can see from these three recipes, the variations on scrapple are endless.

Easy Scrapple
This is a recipe from a family from Conshocken, PA.

1 lb sausage
2 cups water
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup cornmeal

Pour 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cut sausage into pieces and add to boiling water mixing throughly (a potato masher works well). Once sausage is done take pan off heat and add red pepper flakes and sage. Add cornmeal and mix throughly and pour into loaf pan. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
Slice and fry in frying pan with cooking spray.

Philadelphia Scrapple

4 Pigs knuckles
1 Pound lean pork
1 lg Onion, stuck with 3 whole Cloves
3 qt Water
1 Tbs Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Ground sage
3 cup Cormeal
All-purpose flour, for Dredging sliced scrapple
Butter, back fat or Vegetable oil for frying

Place pigs knuckles in a large pot; add pork, onion, and water. Cook slowly, covered, for 2 1/2 hours; drain, reserve broth.

Chill meat and remove fat; separate meat from bones. Chop meat. Place meat in a kettle with 2 qts of the reserved broth. Add salt, pepper and sage; bring to a boil combine cormeal with remaining 1 qt of reserved broth and stir into boiling mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stiirring constantly. Cover and cook over very low heat; stir again after 20 minutes. Pour into 2 (9-by-5-by-3-inch) loaf pans. Cool and chill overnight.

Cut into slices, coat with flour and brown in butter or bacon fat.

Modern Day Scrapple

2 pounds ground lean pork
1 pound beef liver
1 cup buckwheat flour
3 cups yellow corn meal
4 tablespoons salt
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons ground mace
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons whole sweet marjoram
3 quarts of water

In a large pot bring the water to a boil. Add beef liver and boil 10 minutes. Remove the liver and either run through a chopper or grab a knife and cut it in as small pieces as you can. Return chopped liver to the pot. Add the ground pork, a little at a time, and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl mix the buckwheat flour, corn meal, salt, and spices; add to meat and broth slowly, stirring constantly. Simmer gently for one hour, stirring frequently. Use lowest possible heat, as mixture scorches easily.

Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bounce the pans a couple of times so that the Scrapple settles, and let cool. Let the Scrapple set in the refrigerator overnight.

When you arise in the morning, remove the scrapple from the refrigerator and cut into to 3/8 inch slices.

To freeze, lay a sheet of waxed paper between slices, place in freezer bags.

To serve: Thaw slices and dust with flour. Fry in either bacon grease or lard until golden brown. Do not use a cooking spray. It will not taste right and ruin the scrapple.

That is without a doubt my favorite breakfast meat! Mmmmmmm! Yummers!

I will pass on this.

You don't know what you're missing, jsw... When we moved to FL, years ago, I longed for scrapple, fried crispy, smothered in maple syrup! Now years later, it's available here in Publix markets.
So many of our favorites from PA are making their way down here.

All I can find here in Maryland is Rapa, and it doesn't taste like it used to.

Come on Janet...how could you not like fried cornmeal mush with bits of pork cooked in? Of course, most of you think I'm nuts because I don't like beans (any kind including green) or pumpkin/squash/sweet potatoes/carrots (cooked).

What is Rapa? I'll look it up. Got it, brand name for pre-made scrapple.

I think I would go with the middle recipe myself, the Philadelphia Scrapple. A lot of work but it sounds delicious.

Actually, I'm with Janet on this one. I've even eaten scrapple. I don't like it. I put that in the category of Spam, which is something else I think should have not been invented.

We all have different tastes. So this will be "to each his/her own." If you enjoy scrapple, by all means, do so. Just please, don't offer it to me. Or, evidently, Janet.

lol

Scrapple for us kids was left over cornmeal mush that was formed into a brick to set and the sliced in slabs and fried in bacon fat and served with syrup like pancakes. It is just another variation on a theme for polenta that was originally made from buckwheat before Pisan pirates hijacked a cargo ship of maize that was being shipped from Spain to Turkey. To this day corn is called Turkish maize in Italy. The Spanish empire spread corn, potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, cocoa and various beans throughout its empire after the invasion and conquest of the Philippines, Mexico, Central and South America.

Mmmm fried cornmeal mush is soooo good!

Interesting history Ghostdancer, thanks. And thanks to the Spanish.