Reading Terminal Market ★ 4.8
Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia is the 1893 enclosed public market under the old Reading Railroad train shed at 12th and Arch, with 80 vendors and Pennsylvania Dutch counters.
History
Scrapple is the oldest distinctly Pennsylvanian food. Pennsylvania Dutch (Deitsch) farmers of the 17th and 18th centuries used every part of the slaughtered hog; the trimmings, offcuts and liver were simmered with cornmeal and buckwheat flour to make a savoury mush, set in a loaf pan, sliced cold and fried at breakfast. The Habbersett family (founded 1863 in Media, PA) and the Rapa Scrapple Company (founded 1926 in Bridgeville, DE) industrialised the recipe. In Philadelphia, scrapple appears on diner breakfast plates with two eggs over easy, hash browns or fried apples, and a single slice of toast. Sliced 1cm thick and fried until the outside is mahogany-crisp and the inside soft, then drizzled with maple syrup or ketchup depending on which family you grew up in.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 750g pork shoulder, cubed
- 250g pork liver
- 1 small yellow onion, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 tablespoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 150g fine yellow cornmeal
- 75g buckwheat flour
- Neutral oil for frying
Method
- Simmer the pork shoulder, liver, onion and bay in water with the salt for 90 minutes until the meat is tender. Drain, reserving 1 litre of stock. Discard bay and onion.
- Mince or chop the meat finely (a food processor in short pulses works). Return to the pan with the reserved stock, pepper, sage, thyme and cloves. Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk the cornmeal and buckwheat flour in cold water (200ml) until smooth. Stream into the simmering stock, whisking. Cook 25 minutes on low, stirring often, until thick and pulling from the sides of the pan.
- Pour into a lined loaf tin. Smooth the top. Cool fully, then refrigerate overnight (8 hours minimum) to set firm.
- Slice 1cm thick. Fry in 1 tablespoon oil per slice over medium-high heat, 3 minutes per side, until deep brown and crisp. Serve immediately with eggs.
Tip from the editors. The crust matters. Get the pan properly hot and do not move the slices for the full 3 minutes.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat scrapple
Scrapple in Philadelphia
Tommy DiNic's ★ 4.7
Tommy DiNic's in Philadelphia is the Reading Terminal Market counter that won America's best sandwich in 2013, a roast pork with rabe and sharp provolone for under 13 dollars.
Try: Roast pork sandwich
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