Let’s talk, for a moment, about scrapple.

Wait, wait, says author Amy Strauss: Don’t move on to the next story before you hear her out.

And definitely don’t reject scrapple completely before you learn a little more about its history. Because Strauss argues that scrapple, that humble, traditional regional food that, as the saying goes, helps a hog butcher “use everything but the oink,” deserves better than an “ew.”

“The beauty of scrapple is that it has remained the same sound product since its start, barely left untouched through its centuries,” Strauss says. And her new book, “Pennsylvania Scrapple: A Delectable History,” not only revisits scrapple’s role in keeping families fed, but also looks at how contemporary chefs are using scrapple in surprising ways.

As a Berks County native, you surely grew up eating scrapple. … Has the way you prepare it changed from when it was first prepared for you?

I grew up in the small Berks County town of Barto — a hotbed of scrapple makers and eaters. I’ve always been a purist in the sense that I enjoy it the most fried in a skillet, extra-crunchy on its exterior and thrown on a plate with sunny side up eggs (the yolk makes a great “sauce” for the scrapple).

My scrapple-loving heart does jump for joy at the sight of scrapple being used in a newfangled way. Recently, I had scrapple pizza, (with the scrapple) loaded atop a white pizza with pickled radishes and crunchy apples, and it was perfection. I also enjoy when scrapple takes a spin in Asian cuisine, especially on steamed buns with thinly sliced jalapenos and hoisin sauce.

Would our great-great-grandparents, who perhaps made their own scrapple, recognize the product today? Has its taste evolved with some changes in ingredients?

Absolutely! For example, for Stoltzfus Meats in Intercourse, they continue to cook their batches the “old-fashioned” way by kettle cooking, and, if anything, it has been their equipment that has changed, due to need of demand. (For example, they moved from using a 100-pound grinder to a 1,000-pound grinder.)

Additionally, some producers through the years have varied what parts of the pig made the cut in their end product, but those type of decisions don’t jeopardize the historical integrity of the scrapple. Some have removed the inclusion of liver or kidneys.

Does scrapple have counterparts in other cuisines?

Yes! There are very comparable dishes to scrapple nationwide that are good to know about and be able to call out when someone finds scrapple foreign. Largely in Cincinnati and in northern Kentucky, you’ll find goetta, which is similar to scrapple but with the inclusion of oats over cornmeal. In the Carolinas, livermush (pig liver, head parts and cornmeal) and liver pudding (all-meat sausage without casing) are popular. Thinking international, English black pudding and Scottish haggis are also akin to scrapple.

Sign up for our newsletter Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

How would you sell it to people who’ve never tried it?

Don’t overthink it — it’s scrapple; it’s what’s for breakfast! If you’re a fan of pork in its many iterations, (such as) bacon, pork belly, ham slices, sausage, give scrapple a chance. It’s essentially a sausage without the casing, molded into a loaf and sliced before preparation like bread. In the most basic terms: It’s cooked ground pork, mixed with flours and spices, poured into a pan and chilled until (it gets) cooked. It’s one of the best texturally complex meats and most definitely the king of breakfast meats.

Say you’re trying to describe scrapple to someone who’s never had it. What are three descriptors you would use?

This may be cheating, but it’s hard to boil down scrapple into just three symbolic words, so here are three statements: Life-changing, flavor-packed, texturally complex.

While researching your book, were there any modern or traditional recipe interpretations of scrapple that made you say, “Nope. NEVER trying that”?

I’m 100 percent a scrapple believer, so I’ll try any rendition once. That goes for the scrapple-infused stout from Dogfish Head, Beer for Breakfast; the scrapple vodka, Off the Hoof, from Painted Stave Distilling; the limited-edition scrapple ice cream from Franklin Fountain; and scrapple made with an alternative meat and — gasp! — not pork. I found it with duck, chicken, mushrooms-only, goat and more.

What fact(s) about scrapple’s history and traditions surprised you?

One of the most fun of them all were the details of the “Great Scrapple Correspondence of 1872,” as published in The New York Times. A gentleman, who coined himself “Epicure,” wrote into the paper after moving from Philadelphia to New York City, expressing his grievances for (not) being able to access any scrapple, and in turn, he was spending his fair share of money to buy alternative breakfast meats. He (wrote) that if anyone had interest in scrapple itself, his wife would share a recipe. Soon, the “Good Lady of the House” shared her cooking secrets, which included securing a fresh pig’s head, preferably from a country butcher. The letter to the editor portion of the paper became (overrun) by scrapple correspondences for over two weeks. It was as if scrapple went viral before going viral was cool.

LEARN MORE “Pennsylvania Scrapple: A Delectable History,” by Amy Strauss, Arcadia Publishing, 2017, $21.99.

You’re a food and drink journalist — is it fair to say it’s time for a scrapple renaissance? How does it fit with other trends going on in the region? (I’m thinking slow food, etc.)

It blows my mind that you don’t find scrapple more commonly in higher-end restaurants. It’s one of the first foods that celebrated the nose-to-tail, whole-animal butchery movement. It’s a great way to get creative culinary-wise with the remainder of a pig’s parts in your kitchen. It’s made with all-natural, real food; you can read and understand every last ingredient in its ingredient statement.

Let’s set the scene: You’ve invited a scrapple novice to breakfast. You really, really want them to enjoy their first bite. How will you prepare the scrapple?

I truly believe if you never tried scrapple, you have to start with the basics: a beautiful slice sizzled in a cast-iron skillet. (The scrapple should be) perfectly cloaked with a crispy coating and hiding its melt-in-your-mouth interior. Get them to cut into it with a fork on its own first, and if they feel so inclined, allow them to get creative with the condiments. Everyone finds their own preferred scrapple partner. Ketchup, yellow mustard, mayo, horseradish, apple butter, King Syrup, maple syrup … options are endless! After Round 1, whip out some white bread and crack some eggs, and make it a party. There’s enough scrapple to go around to make everyone a believer.