Skip to main content
Main

Philadelphia Scrapple

A savory loaf made from water stock, cornmeal, rye flour, liver pudding, head cheese, salt, thyme, and pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Thyme and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,585 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Philadelphia Scrapple

Ingredients

Directions

Make the mush

  1. Bring the water stock to a boil.

  2. Add the cornmeal and rye flour, stirring well.

  3. Incorporate the chopped and spiced head cheese and liver pudding meat.

  4. Boil for one hour and fifteen minutes, stirring constantly.

  5. Skim the fat from the stock before mixing.

Mold and set

  1. Pour the mixture into molds and chill until set.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Thyme + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,585 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Rye + flourtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,320 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Rye + thymetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together22 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Rye + peppertop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together80 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Flour + thymetop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,721 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cornmeal
Thickens the stock into a firm mush that holds its shape when chilled.
Rye flour
Adds body and structure to the mush, helping it set firm after chilling.
Head cheese
Contributes meaty flavor and seasoning throughout the mixture.
Liver pudding meat
Adds rich, savory flavor and depth to the mush.

The step that matters

Boil while stirring constantly. Cornmeal and rye flour can scorch on the bottom of the pot and thicken unevenly if left unattended. Constant stirring keeps the starch dispersed and gelatinizing evenly, so the mush sets smooth and firm when chilled.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More scrapple recipes

Philadelphia 4 See all 32 →

You might also like

Macaroni and CheeseMacaroni and Cheese102 recipesMeat CroquettesMeat Croquettes52 recipesCheese MakingCheese Making50 recipesMeatballsMeatballs37 recipes