Post-pub nosh deathmatch: Souse versus scrapple Our popular post-pub nosh deathmatch series takes a decidedly Pennsylvania Dutch turn this chilly November, as we present for your drunken dining pleasure two stateside dishes suggested by our gourmet readers. The contenders weighing in for this culinary clash are souse and scrapple, a couple of carnivore-friendly concoctions …
if i'm honest, and i staggered home with a belly full of beer, and went to eat either of these, i don't think i'd have a full belly anymore, just a pending cleaning bill and the prospect of the following morning spent working over the kitchen floor with a bucket and mop and disinfectant...
Agreed. Looking at Souse it looks a lot like dog food. And considering two of the ingredients (pigs ears, trotter) are actually treats we used to buy for our dog just makes it seem worse.
The Scrapple however looks quite edible (once it's been fried) I have but one question.
Step 1: Boil the pork in 4-5l of water with laurel leaves, cloves, salt and pepper. But you don't list laurel leaves in the ingredients (unless it's another name for bay leaves)
And if Laurel leaves are another name for bay, then why later do you say add polenta and herbs? Why not just polenta and the sage?
And an additional ending bit. Just because I dont want to much up if I try this (tempted to) when you say 2.5l of strained broth. Would it be best to pour in all the strained broth and let it reduce to 2.5l for a stronger taste? Or just pour in what's needed.
I live in the region where these come from. Most people around here save themselves a *lot* of trouble and simply buy sausage ready-made. You then don't have to worry about the rest of it, just the corn meal or polenta. Save the grease from browning the sausage so you've something to fry it in later - it adds the flavor also. This is a breakfast staple among farmers and laborers here, at least it was when I was a child.
There's what we call "bay" in the UK, which is short for "bay laurel" and is a nice flavouring herb. Then there's the ordinary laurel that's used as a tough hedging plant. You don't want to be using that as it's poisonous.* Probably this confusion is why the herb is generally known just as "bay leaves".
* ...and might, inconceivable though it sounds, make your scrapple taste even worse.
If in these post-BSE times it was still legal to do so I'd upload my recipe for scrambled-egg-and-brains, which is excellent when sprinkled lightly with garlic-salt and served on hot buttered toast.
[Speaking of Brains, I have a six-pack of Mr. Brain's Faggots in the bottom of the freezer. They've been there for such a long time I'm surprised they haven't developed sentience]
Not eating offal is one of the biggest calamities to hit the western diet, the foods I was brought up on (60s and 70s) are really hard to find. Stuffed lambs' hearts... mmmm....
I remember when I was in Greece visiting some friends for Easter (it's well worth visiting any country that practices Orthodox Christianity at Easter for the incredible vibe it brings), and we had the traditional roast lamb - made by getting a lamb, and roasting it an oven. Whole. I've not been looked at by any food higher up the chain than whitebait, so I was a bit non-plussed, but when my friend's husband and his father had a bit of barny about who got to scoop out the brain, I was very chuffed.
We're far too wussy about our food these days.
Although, I don't think i'll be rushing to try these recipes...
Lester, next time label these as NSBL - Not Safe Before Lunch. It's not quite noon yet here in the States, but after seeing the souse, well, my appetite has gone missing. The scrapple didn't look too bad, though, 'specially since you used a good cut of meat as opposed to floor-scrapings from the slaughterhouse.
If you *really* want "Not Safe Before Lunch or After Lunch or Any Time At All" then click the following. Or, rather don't, unless you want to lose your appetite for the rest of the day:-
http://ihatemymessageboard.com/2009/03/29/pork-brains-in-milk-gravy/
Please note that this is a canned product apparently commercially sold under several brands in the United States, and yet it's one of the most unpleasant-sounding-and-looking "real" products I've come across. It's the colour of the "milk gravy" in the can that makes it all the worse.
For holding the first one long enough to take a pic without upchucking. I can't even bear to look at it let alone with the smell as well.
Its no wonder the peasants were revolting if they had to eat that. Its the sort of stuff even a ravenous hyena would leave on the side of the plate.
Cat food smells really nice when fresh out of the steam oven, it only gets that "cat food" smell when they add the gravy - or jelly as you'd probably call it.
Tastes quite good as well - it's all the chicken heads and feet that give it such a wondrous flavour.
Yes, Whiskas do a "product appreciation" course where you make - and taste - a little of it.
Was a very interesting summer placement, glad I did it.
And I will say it up front, the Souse has me drooling. I bet it's fair tasty.
Then again, I'm Chinese and as everyone knows, we'll eat _anything_.
I think the missus might have a few words to say to me if I started reducing offal in the kitchen though, she doesn't even let me have tripe steamed with ginger, honey and soy.
Bah! now I'm hungry!
(Also lamb's hearts are very easy to get in most super markets and roast up a treat)
I have to wonder about the ethics of making scrapple with pork butt rather than with all the miscellaneous bits. Of course, I've never had any ambition to make the stuff. And, I repeat, now that you're starting to explore Pennsylvania Dutch food, it's time to look into hog maw.
(And is Katrina hoping that a pipe of harsh tobacco will kill the taste?)
I had a nice laugh over the posts from those who find these two foods nauseating. I suspect that a blindfold might make a lot of difference as both can be quite delicious. Non gustibus and all that, though.
I was very fortunate as a boy and young man to live on more than one continent and experience several cultures, especially their cuisines. It's not that I find all foods to my liking, but I'm never put off by the idea of any food. This makes it possible, among other things, to enjoy a delightful substitution for croutons. Earthworms or grubs seasoned with a bit of garlic fry up very nicely and are good and crunchy on my salad.
My father grew up near Philadelphia and we had Reading Terminal Market scrapple in the house as early as I can remember. I've always loved it. Souse just doesn't have a good texture for my tastes, though.
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Although I applaud the obvious effort taken, Scrapple is less to be made and more to be ate. Terrible English aside, I've eaten scrapple for many years but never once have I made my own. Proper post pub is to pull it from the wrapper in the fridge and fry it. Add ketchup or mustard, one slice of the cheapest American cheese you can find, and a piece of toast. Great stuff that is.
Growing up in a Pennsylvania Dutch family I have eaten both of these great treats often. Scrapple is by far the better of the two. However, we have always served it baked, not fried, and with a healthy coating of maple syrup. Add a bit of liver in with the pork shoulder though to make it a little more authentic.
I eat a lot of Chinese food and once, feeling adventurous, I tried chicken's feet, expecting something fried. Instead of fried it was plain and cold. Took it home for the cat. Beer might have helped, but it would have taken more than I'd be prepared to drink.
Quite like squid now, and just had a Korean dish of it.
My wife loves chicken feet, also heart. And cow heart for that matter.
Lamb heart, not so much, which is a shame because lamb hearts are much easier to find these days.
Weirdly she doesn't like guenea pig, though I do. Possibly because it tastes too much like lamb for her.
I wish we in America ate food. For example, Americans think peppers come in two varieties: tasteless and inedible. Eating is either a game to see who can bear the most suffering or a necessity to be finished with as quickly as possible. I miss Spain... oh, here comes my trough! *gobblegobblenomhrmphnom*
Having grown up in close proximity to Pennsylvania Dutch country, I grew up with scrapple. My father loved the stuff. His favorite breakfast was to take a slice of scrapple, flour it, fry it in lard, and top with a couple of eggs sunny side up.
I remember asking him when I was young, what exactly was in scrapple. His reply was that scrapple was made from the things that no self-respecting butcher would put in his sausage.
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