vas_a_morir
Banned
"Raw"
"Prepared"
Lately, I have taken a liking to scrapple, a mush created from finely minced pork scraps from Pennsylvania dutch country. However, that is a rather vague description. I set out to discover what ACTUALLY is in this stuff.
It sounds gross, I admit. When prepared correctly, the outside is cooked until it is chewey and a little crispy, while the inside maintains it's mushy consistency. The mistake most people make is they try to flip it over too soon, causing it to look like this. You have to wait for a long time before you flip it.
Here is a video of a guy with a really strange accent making scrapple from scratch. A must see for bizarre food fans.
The flavor is difficult to explain. It really doesn't taste like anything else out there. That is the danger for many first-time scrapple eaters. You will be eating a lot of parts of the pig that you have never eaten before, and if you concentrate on that mystery flavor, it can turn you off to it really fast. I admit, when I first ate it about 5 years ago, I tasted it and got a little sick.
Is it bad for you? Compare it to Sausage and bacon, and it's practically a health food. You can get full eating it without taking in more than 120 Calories. I'm actually on a bit of a diet (trying to get down to 160), and because it's so rich and filling, it can fit in pretty well from time to time. The reason it's not an everyday food has more to do with the strong flavor that can easily turn against you if you overdo it. Many people like to offset the flavor with Apple Butter (Cooked-down apple sauce) or Ketchup. I like both, but have a preference usually for ketchup.
As far as availability is concerned, I don't know if you can find it outside the eastern US. I live in Northern Kentucky (Across the river from Ohio) and we can find it, but it's not well known or widely available as far as I know.
In America, we don't eat a lot of unusual things, so I kinda like having something like this for a change. I get to know what it tastes like to be a zombie pig. Starsssssss. I'd be interested to see what other interesting food is out there in your neck of the woods.
"Prepared"
Lately, I have taken a liking to scrapple, a mush created from finely minced pork scraps from Pennsylvania dutch country. However, that is a rather vague description. I set out to discover what ACTUALLY is in this stuff.
Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, eyes, heart, liver, bladder, and other scraps, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are discarded, the meat is reserved, and (dry) cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned, and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, and others, are added. The mush is cast into loaves, and allowed to cool thoroughly until gelled. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.
It sounds gross, I admit. When prepared correctly, the outside is cooked until it is chewey and a little crispy, while the inside maintains it's mushy consistency. The mistake most people make is they try to flip it over too soon, causing it to look like this. You have to wait for a long time before you flip it.
Here is a video of a guy with a really strange accent making scrapple from scratch. A must see for bizarre food fans.
The flavor is difficult to explain. It really doesn't taste like anything else out there. That is the danger for many first-time scrapple eaters. You will be eating a lot of parts of the pig that you have never eaten before, and if you concentrate on that mystery flavor, it can turn you off to it really fast. I admit, when I first ate it about 5 years ago, I tasted it and got a little sick.
Is it bad for you? Compare it to Sausage and bacon, and it's practically a health food. You can get full eating it without taking in more than 120 Calories. I'm actually on a bit of a diet (trying to get down to 160), and because it's so rich and filling, it can fit in pretty well from time to time. The reason it's not an everyday food has more to do with the strong flavor that can easily turn against you if you overdo it. Many people like to offset the flavor with Apple Butter (Cooked-down apple sauce) or Ketchup. I like both, but have a preference usually for ketchup.
As far as availability is concerned, I don't know if you can find it outside the eastern US. I live in Northern Kentucky (Across the river from Ohio) and we can find it, but it's not well known or widely available as far as I know.
In America, we don't eat a lot of unusual things, so I kinda like having something like this for a change. I get to know what it tastes like to be a zombie pig. Starsssssss. I'd be interested to see what other interesting food is out there in your neck of the woods.