ScrappleFest 2009: 2nd-place winner is vegan
Ever on the lookout for the intersection of Philly institutions and new "green" thinking, I dropped by ScrappleFest 2009 on Saturday to sample a concoction some would call a contradiction in terms - vegan scrapple.
ScrappleFest 2009: 2nd-place winner is vegan
Ever on the lookout for the intersection of Philly institutions and new "green" thinking, I dropped by ScrappleFest 2009 on Saturday to sample a concoction some would call a contradiction in terms - vegan scrapple. I know, I know, many people have responded to the concept with some version of "that's just wrong."
Maybe so, but it exists. Sarah Cain, manager of the Fair Food Farmstand at the Reading Terminal Market (where else would ScrappleFest be held?) created the product in question, Vrapple, a little over a year ago for a friend who had gone vegetarian but missed the decadent taste of scrapple. Since I failed, in my 11 months living in Philly before I went vegetarian, to ever try the original meat product, I can't speak to how closely authentic the veggie version was, but it tasted pretty darn good to me, anyway.
Apparently I wasn't alone. Of the eight varieties of scrapple tasted and judged by a celebrity panel of food experts, Vrapple beat out seven pork-based versions to take the second-place prize.
Sarah Cain and chef John Blanchet (who worked vrapple into a recipe involving maple-roasted pumpkin) seemed rather surprised and delighted by the strong showing, and as you'll hear in the attached 4-minute podcast, were perfectly happy not taking first. "Something would be wrong with the universe" if a veggie scrapple had won at ScrappleFest, said Blanchet, while Cain added "I think someone would put a hit out on me." Congrats to both, and to Vrapple for carving out its own salty, pan-seared chunk of Philly food tradition.
Comment removed.
That would be pig & cornmeal, Doctor. Why no mention of first place?— deucestudios- Comment removed.
- I was there and I tried it...it's not the same, although it was tasty.— palmyra21
- Proud to say scrapple has never touched these lips!— cusoraider
- Dr.McCoy, please draw on your medical background and provide any scientific source for your outmoded claims. Seeing something "mentioned in a medical show on TV" (was it, um... Star Trek?) doesn't cut it. It's true that processed soy and wheat foods are not as healthy as whole, and especially raw, plant foods, but let's remember, this stuff is being compared to scrapple, fer crying out loud. First place was Mezze.— lehmkuv
- If Dr. McCoy's statements were correct, the FDA would be freaking out right now, and I'm not quite sure what "hyper-feminism" is. Perhaps it was an offshoot of the 70's feminist movement?— Docbegone
- Vegan scrapple what a dumb idea scrapple is for true meat lovers— faf72
- My favorite part of breakfast, and I like it thick and not too well done. Hmmmmmm!— FJG JR
- Vegan foods have chemicals added?? Hey, let's talk about all the antibiotics in meat and dairy instead.— Jen D
Yummy! This is the first time I've heard of Vrapple. I need to pick some up!— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.- I have been a vegetarian for 16 years and have no desire to taste or smell anything that looks like meat. So a vegetarian scrapple has no appeal to me; if it has its own dinstinctive taste, I might consider it. Reading labels is always a good idea; you will find that jusy as many "healthy" foods have chemicals and additives as regular foods. It all depends on exactly what you want to put into your body.— mernst
- Comment removed.
- Hi, this is Sarah - of Sarah's Savories, the maker of Vrapple. First I want to thank Vance for a great article and the wonderful exposure it has given us. I do want to address the generalizations and rampant 'over-processed' and 'chemicals added' debate that seems to be going on here, however. I use no chemicals or preservatives in Vrapple, and the seitan that I buy to use in the product is pretty darn clean, too. This is the full ingredient list: Filtered Water, Wheat Gluten, Cornmeal, Buckwheat Flour, Organic Mushrooms, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Canola Oil, Pea Starch, Garbanzo Bean Flour, Sea Salt, Organic Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Reduced Sodium Organic Tamari Soy Sauce, Organic White Pepper, Herbs, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, Soy Flour, Maltodextrin, Calcium Lactate, Autolyzed Yeast Extract and Lemon Juice Concentrate. We make the Vrapple in small batches, stirring it by hand, and pouring it into the loaf pans to set into shape. We buy as may ingredients locally as we can, and as you can see we have many organic ingredients as well, and it is made in a certified organic commercial kitchen. Vrapple does have it's own unique flavor, and makes a great addition to a recipe - as you can tell from our 2nd place win!— SarahC
- Folks, in case you're wondering about the beginning of this thread, a certain TV doctor known for his irascibility/cantankerousness was acting up on another philly.com thread and got himself banned. This apparently caused all of his comments to be removed from the site. Sorry for any resulting confusion.— lehmkuv
- I hauled it on down to the Reading Terminal after work yesterday to pick up some Vrapple. I actually picked up two packages. I've never had the real thing, but I have a feeling the vegan version is going to be pretty darn good. Also, it's something that I can serve to my non-vegan friends to show them being vegan isn't so bad afterall. Ha! That's how I got my mom hooked on those veggie breakfast links and Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. I can't wait to try Vrapple this weekend with one of my "famous" vegan breakfast sandwiches. Though, I don't know if I can wait that long . . . .— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.
- I tried it over the weekend! Very yummy. I highly recommend it!— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.
The experts at Philadelphia's Energy Coordinating Agency answer your energy questions in our regular feature Stay Warm, Stay Green. Send in your question or questions to energy@phillynews.com.
Look for Jenice Armstrong to supply tips on green living as well as occasional columns on the subject of Green. She also blogs at Hey Jen.
Becky Batcha stays tuned for the here-and-now practical side of conservation, alternative energy, organic foods, etc. - stuff you can do at home now. Plus odds and ends.
Laurie Conrad recycles from her ever-growing e-mailbag to pass along the latest travel deals, fashion statements, household strategies, gadgets, cool local events and other nuggets of interest to those who appreciate a clean, green world.
Vance Lehmkuhl looks at topics like eco-conscious eating, public transportation and fuel-efficient driving from his perspective as a vegetarian, a daily SEPTA bus rider and a hybrid driver, as well as noting the occasional wacky trend or product. Contact Vance with your 'green' news.
Ronnie Polaneczky sees the green movement through the eyes of her 12-year-old daughter, who calls her on every scrap of paper or glass bottle that Ronnie neglects to toss into the house recycling bins. Ronnie will blog about new or unexpected ways to go green. She also blogs at So, What Happened Was...
Sandra Shea and the DN editorial board opine on any green-related legislation or policy. And we'll pass along some of the opeds on the subject that people send us.
Jonathan Takiff will be blogging mainly about consumer electronics - those things that we love to use and that suck too much energy. He'll spotlight green-conscious gizmos made in a responsible fashion, both in terms of materials used and the energy it takes to run them.
Signe Wilkinson draws the comic strip Family Tree, which follows the Tree family as they try to live green in the face of nattering neighbors, plastic-wrapped consumer products, and the primal teenage urge to spend vast quantities of money on hair care products of dubious organic quality.
In addition to these updates from our newsroom bloggers, watch for an occasional feature, Dumpster Diver Dispatches, from Philadelphia's original "green" community of artists, the Dumpster Divers. You'll learn about creative ways to reuse and recycle while you reduce, and about the artists who are making little masterpieces from what others throw out.
Sept. 17: A head start on cold season
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