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The Maryland Curiosity Bureau

Scrapple, why?

Bruce Purnell serves up two scrapple & egg sandwiches at Kay's Place diner in Baltimore (Photo credit: Aaron Henkin / WYPR)
Bruce Purnell serves up two scrapple & egg sandwiches at Kay's Place diner in Baltimore (Photo credit: Aaron Henkin / WYPR)

It’s on local breakfast menus next to the bacon & sausage, but what in the world is it? Where did it come from? And why do some folks love it while others fear it? This episode, a skeptical listener asks, “Scrapple, why?” So, we take a deep dive into the cultural (and anatomical) origins of Maryland’s favorite mystery meat.

This episode, we hear from:

Bruce Purnell, cook at Kay's Place

William Woys Weaver, author of Country Scrapple: An American Tradition

Richard Kowalewski, owner of Fellner Meats

Robert Zimberoff and Bunky Luffman, hosts of the Scrapple Trail Facebook group

Aaron creates and produces original radio programs and podcasts for WYPR. His current project is The Maryland Curiosity Bureau. Aaron's neighborhood documentary series, Out of the Blocks, earned the 2018 national Edward R Murrow Award. His past work includes the long-running weekly cultural program, The Signal, and the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings series, Tapestry of the Times. Aaron's stories have aired nationally on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.