American Plate - Bite #57: Scrapple

Americans are forever playing around with the ostentation of our foods. Dishes that began as peasant fare in the Old Country are elevated to haute cuisine (along with their prices), while others that were once reserved for royalty are now served in every home. Scrapple certainly had humble beginnings; once the farmers had slaughtered and carved away the best parts of their pigs to sell, they took the leftover parts and cooked them with grain. This mixture was then solidified in a loaf pan, sliced, and cooked again.

Not very fancy, is it? Despite its origins as a simple, cost-cutting way of feeding the farmstead family, though, scrapple has held on as a popular dish in households, diners, and has even made its way to fine restaurants. I've had it in all three of these forms, which has given me ample opportunity to experience all it has to offer.

And what it mostly has to offer is a feeling that your arteries are about to explode. I'm sorry to say that it won't be replacing the more widespread breakfast meats in my heart, which is thankfully still functional, since I don't regularly eat scrapple. Imagine concentrating the fat from eight sausage patties or strips of bacon into one serving, then sweeten it up by pouring maple syrup on it, and you have the sensation of scrapple.

Scrapple is very regionally popular in the northeast, so my reaction may be rooted in not being raised there, and I could see myself ordering it again someday if I need a calorie bomb for whatever reason, but otherwise, this side can stay in the realm of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Read more »

American Cake - Cake #39: Orange Chiffon Cake

Time Period: 1946-1962

Though several of the cakes in this project were developed elsewhere and updated and/or perfected in America, chiffon is truly a homegrown bake. The style was invented by Harry Baker (no pun intended), who moved to LA in the '20s and began selling his cakes to local restaurants. He kept his technique (using vegetable oil instead of butter) a secret, finally selling it in 1948. This substitution made giant waves in the baking community, and now, using oil as the fat has become commonplace in all types of cakes.

So, how to put this? Do I not have the proper equipment? Am I not following the instructions correctly? Is Anne Byrn bad at conveying information when it comes to this family of cakes? Is it a combination of these factors? Because I have had terrible luck with every cake so far that depends on whipped eggs as the leavening agent. If I'm not supposed to grease the pan so that the batter can climb, how the hell is it supposed to get out of the tube pan?

I'll keep experimenting, and while it tasted fine and I was able to rescue it by turning into bread pudding, this one will join its angelic brethren at the bottom of the ranking.

Read more »

American Plate - Bite #55: Cracker Jack

Sometimes, it seems as if some of these American Bites caught on in the popular consciousness because of sheer, dumb luck. A spark hit at just the right time and place, and suddenly, it's an American institution. Sometimes, though, it takes hard work and a string of innovations to build something from an idea to an icon. Cracker Jack definitely belongs to that latter category. People have always found things to snack on, but until Cracker Jack came along, it was usually fruit, cheese, or nuts.

In 1872, Frederick Rueckheim opened a popcorn/candy business with his brother in Chicago. Innovation #1: Experimenting with just the right combination of popcorn, peanuts, and molasses to find one that was tasty, and that wouldn't fuse into an unchewable mass. The snack was a hit at the Chicago World's Fair, so the brothers trademarked the name ("crackerjack" meaning something super-cool) and expanded the business in 1896. Transporting the mixture in warm weather was an issue, though. Innovation #2: A friend of theirs named Harvey Eckstein introduced the brothers to packaging the snack in double-layered wax paper inside individual serving-sized sealed boxes. It worked so well that Eckstein's name joined the company.

Innovation #3: A hit song. Though cracker jack had been a standard offering at baseball parks for a time, once the now-familiar tune name checking it was penned around 1908, there was no stopping its cultural imprint. There's always way to improve on advertising, though, and the Rueckheims copied the Quaker Oats idea of including a coupon in each box. Innovation #4: Then they hit upon the idea of including a little toy or surprise, instead. The rest is history, and Cracker Jack stands as America's first mass-produced snack food. 

That said, Cracker Jack seems to have left its cultural import back in the '80s. You don't see or hear much about people eating it anymore, and I haven't seen it for sale at a ballpark in years. In fact, I couldn't even buy it from the store; I had to order some online. So how was it once I got it? Kinda not as good as I remember. There are other caramel corn mixes at supermarkets that are as good or better, and sadly, the prize was worthless as well - just a sticker that promised additional prizes for collecting more. So maybe Cracker Jack's days in the sun are over, but it's sure still a testament to American innovation.

Read more »