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Vegan scrapple? You're kidding, right?

I firmly believe, and hope you do too, that "I Can't Believe it's Not Offal" would be the perfect slogan for a vegan scrapple.

I firmly believe, and hope you do too, that "I Can't Believe it's Not Offal" would be the perfect slogan for a good-tasting vegan scrapple.

Here's the thing, though: It would have to taste both good and like scrapple, what some would call something of a tightrope-walk. And you have to overcome the sheer incredulousness generated by the concept "vegan scrapple."

Still, it can be done, as I reported in Earth to Philly: In the 2009 Scrapplefest, a vegan scrapple competed and actually beat out seven pork-based versions to take second prize.

Fresh-cooked samples made the case then and there, and they might do the same today (Feb. 10) at Weavers Way, for a vegan scrapple newly launched out of West Chester. Will Ternay of Long Cove Foods will be cooking up sample "scrapple bits," and likely answering innumerable questions, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Chestnut Hill store (8424 Germantown Ave).

As far as flavors go, Ternay is already looking ahead: His "'Aztec Scrapple', inspired by the flavors of central Mexico," is coming out in late spring. For the fall there's "Apple Scrapple" - "a cross between savory and sweet, with wonderful hints of warming spices."

A Philly native, Ternay "eventually ended up in West Chester," where he uses a commissary kitchen at the Artisan Exchange Farmers Market and sells the faux-scrap-meat there as well as at various suburban and city locations, including Weavers Way.

For now, Ternay is keeping focused, he said, "allowing myself to grow with the demand,"  meeting new people and "loving their reactions and stories around 'scrapple,' past and present."

I don't know about you, but I'm hoping to stop by and check this out. For what it's worth, Ternay explains on his site that his scrapple is gluten- and soy-free, featuring locally produced non-GMO cornmeal, organic vegetables and non-GMO mushrooms: "It cooks up crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside - just like 'the other' version."

We'll have to take his word for it - so far. The proof, as they say, is in the putting it in your mouth and eating it.