We often get asked the question: what is the difference between scrapple and pudding? It's a great question! Both scrapple and pudding have similar ingredients. But there are crucial differences between the two.
Both scrapple and pudding are made from a mixture of pork, pork skins, pork livers, and seasonings. The main difference is that scrapple also has cornmeal and buckwheat flour added to this mixture. The cornmeal and buckwheat flour (both gluten free) help bind the various ingredients together. A slice of scrapple can be fried and, if handled correctly, stay together as one piece.
Pudding, on the other hand, does not have cornmeal and buckwheat flour added. As a result of these missing ingredients, it has a stronger liver flavor. It also will not stay together as it is cooked.
So which is better? Most people prefer scrapple. But we also have our pudding die-hards! Pudding is an item that is harder and harder to find. We still make ours using a generations-old recipe.
People who enjoy pudding will often eat it with eggs or toast. Another great way to enjoy pudding is over top of a slice of fried mush. Mush is a loaf of cornmeal that fries up perfectly and goes great paired with eggs and breakfast meat. Some pudding aficionados like to pour their pudding over their mush then top the whole thing off with fresh maple syrup. The taste is amazing. Which do you prefer, scrapple or pudding? Let us know in the comments!
33 comments
Toast, puddins, then KING syrup
Dad, was from Altoona, but we lived everywhere in the Military. Whenever we went home it was ALWAYS pudding over pancakes for breakfast. We could get scrappel in the commissaries, but never pudding. What a treat!
I love pan pudding on bread with ketchup on top. My dad ate it with chopped onions, no ketchup.
While scrapple is easy to find I would make my own pudding. Served over pancakes, waffles or mush. Grew up eating it mostly in the winter months since butchering took place in the very late fall or early winter. So good!!
Sitting here with a plate of puddin ‘n hominy and an egg for breakfast right now. I wouldn’t say that I’m country, but my dad was country German. Puddin (not pudding) and pan haus (not scrapple) were family favorites growing up. Puddin can still be found in north central Maryland but not as readily as scrapple. For me puddin always goes on hominy.