Recently, a post about scrapple on the Pennsylvania Dutch At-Home Companion blog generated a lot of interest. This post contributes another primary source on scrapple, from Henry R. Bergey of Franconia Township, writing circa 1925.

Henry Ruth Bergey (1843-1925) was a farmer in ”Bergey Valley” along the Indian Creek in Franconia. This is the last entry in a manuscript notebook begun in 1924 when he was 80 years old. You can read more about Henry and his notebook in this post from January 2019: https://mhep.org/a-window-on-franconia-mennonite-character/. His writings are a valuable example of how Pennsylvania Dutch folks recorded their spoken English thought onto paper.

This transcription was first published in the MHEP Newsletter in January 1988.

On This Page you will Find how to Prepare a Good and also a Clean and helsy Scrapel with a Good tast and not mixed with all kinds of Stuff that a Person would hardly Eat them when they would know how they Prepare his Scrapel. it came to my Ears that Some People Prepare his Scrapel on a very comen Stile: to Sell to his Custimers: that lacketh my abedied for Scrapel any moor.

I was always a lover of Scrapel, Especial now when my Teeth getten Dull, and Four Score years Old. then my thought Came on Isaac when he geten Old he calleth his Elder Son, and told him to go out in the Field and Search for wilbert [Wildbret = venison] to make him a Saveour [savory] meat which he loveth then it came in my mind, could we not also make a Savour meat of Chicken in Stead [of] Wilbert which I love.

So we killed a Fat chicken and Boiled it, then Grinded them and my wife Mixt Corn and Bucked [buckweat] meal, and Coucked them for an half Our. and you wer Surprised when you would taste them: and not all that we know what we Eating. Therefore Ill Recommended Chicken Scrapel For Old and Young People who Search to have there Eatables Clean. We Received 14 lbs. Scrapel of one Chicken at 9 cts. per [lb.?]

I will give you a Description of my Saveour Mete which I loveth in the Presend time, when I am Four Score yours Old. Ill Generly tock two Slise of Bread and Smeard them well with Butter, and Put a TeaSpone full of Shuger on top, then Ill Pour a little hot water on top to Soke it then I add about 1/2 of a lb chick Scrapel and mix them together, and also Sometimes Pour a little Boiled Oat meal upon it and mixed with a little milk that would make a Saveour meat (not a Rich meal) which I loveth. and I would find no falt when I would recieved it three times a Day.

Because I have learn that a man Eateth For to live, and not live For to Eat. Espesial ought to know what to Eat that may Be Good for there complain[t]. Ill often heart People Say, no I Daunt want to have Every meal a like I want a Chang. When they Even knoweth what is good For ther Complain[t] But they wan[t] to Pleas his Mouth and careth more to Pleas There mouth then they do for there Body. But that is nothing new. We find when the Lord Fed the childrens of Israel in the former world with mana 40 years they also comenct to mer[mur] they want to have a cange they want meat. We find the lord giveth them meat So they Eat quailes that the Flesh came out there Nusetrills (Read the 11 chapter 4 Book of Moses). So it may Be Posable that the People have not Bin Fead well when they Get what they Desired and that is often the troubel in the Present time.

Transcribed from the notebook by John L. Ruth