As the name “scrapple” suggests—scraps, scrappy, scrapped—the region’s famed food mashes leftover pork trimmings with cornmeal, buckwheat, salt, and spices to form a loaf reminiscent of a more textured Spam.
For some, it might not sound like the most appetizing of breakfast fare, but the crispy-fried rectangle is an iconic part of Mid-Atlantic cuisine. For more than a century, it’s been lovingly associated with diners and food markets across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
In Baltimore this weekend, the delicacy is getting an entire event dedicated to it.
On November 9, Highlandtown’s Creative Alliance will host the city’s first Scrapple Fest, a celebration of the history and significance of the old-school staple. Joy Davis, Creative Alliance’s visual arts director and the organizer behind the festival, says it initially started as a film screening for Scrapple Road, a 2022 indie documentary from director Kurt Kolaja.
“The film is really about Kurt’s experience with scrapple and how important it is to the Delmarva area,” Davis explains. “He interviewed chefs who work closely with scrapple, talking about the preparation, the Mid-Atlantic area, and how this food is so important.”
Eventually, plans for the screening turned into to a full-blown celebration, as Davis collaborated with Kolaja and chef John Shields of Gertrude’s, who has written four cookbooks on Chesapeake cuisine.
“Kurt and John inspired me to do more for scrapple, to think more holistically,” Davis says. “There are festivals in Southern Maryland and Delaware, but we didn’t really have any representation on that scene in Baltimore. So we came together to think about different ways we could celebrate scrapple and landed on the program we have now.”
The evening promises offerings like a “breakfast for dinner” menu from chef Jon Carroll of Carroll & Son Fine Foods, a lounge serving drinks reminiscent of scrapple (although not containing actual scrapple), and vendors including food historian Joyce White, who writes about scrapple in her new book, Cooking Maryland’s Way: Voices of a Diverse Cuisine. The night will culminate with a screening of Scrapple Road and a talkback with Kolaja.
For scrapple lovers, tickets (ranging from $10-40) to the fest are an opportunity to celebrate the enduring legacy of scrapple, which continues to be a fixture even after hundreds of years.
“Scrapple has a long history that goes back to pre-Roman times in Europe,” Davis says. “Like other mashed meat products, it was a way for people to use up leftover or undesirable meat scraps. Eventually, scrapple was brought over to the U.S. by the Pennsylvania Dutch.”
From its initial introduction, the food became a local delicacy. While those outside the region might not get the hype, it inspires nostalgia for many Baltimoreans who grew up eating the fried square slices with their eggs and toast.
“It’s a very versatile food,” Davis says. “I grew up eating scrapple, mostly for breakfast, and my dad even used to make a vegetarian version. It’s very nostalgic for me. The way that Baltimore and other places have been able to hold onto scrapple as a staple is really fantastic.”
Looking ahead, Davis hopes to make the festival an annual tradition for fans and skeptics alike.
“I want to share scrapple with those who haven’t had it yet, but I also want to gather folks who already love it,” she says. “This festival is really about bringing people together in acknowledgment of this food, being in community with one another, and of course, eating scrapple.”