National Scrapple Day
Scrapple Day celebrates scrapple, a food created by the Pennsylvania Dutch, a group of people that emigrated to the United States from Germany and Switzerland in the 17th and 18th centuries. Scrapple, which has also gone by names such as "Philadelphia scrapple", "pawnhaus"—which means finely chopped food, "poor-do"—which means leftovers, and "pan rabbitt", dates to at least 1817, where it appeared in Philadelphia. It is still popular in the Mid-Atlantic states, and can be found being sold both fresh and frozen at supermarkets. Like its name suggests, it is made from scraps—usually finely minced and from pork, and is usually combined with cornmeal, wheat flour, and spices into a mush. It is then formed into loaves and cooled, then cut and either fried or broiled. It is usually eaten as a breakfast or brunch food. Popular condiments eaten with scrapple include: ketchup, maple syrup, apple slices, apple butter, brown sugar, jelly, honey, and mustard. Sometimes it is also mixed with scrambled eggs.
How to Observe National Scrapple Day
Celebrate the day by eating scrapple! If you find yourself in the Philadelphia area or Mid-Atlantic region, there is a good chance you can get it at a restaurant. If not, you can always make it at home.