Foodie on the Eastern Shore
I love going to new places and trying their foods. Here on the Eastern Shore, I have been introduced to foods that I have NEVER heard of before and some that I had heard of but hadn't tried yet! So much culture that I had no idea about before moving here!
Scrapple- is traditionally a mush of porkscraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving. Scrapple is best known as an American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia). Scrapple is commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. I ordered some scrapple at a restaurant (after asking what it was!!) but afterward realized that it was served in the nursing home I worked at as a breakfast side and that I could buy it from the grocery store! My family is in luck (hehe) I will be making some for Christmas breakfast for everyone to try!
Oyster Stuffing- is a favorite of New Englanders that dates back to the 18th century in America as oysters were predominantly found along the eastern coast of North America. Oysters had been used with or without bread crumbs for stuffing poultry or fish over 335 years. The tradition of oyster dressing was brought over from British colonists that settled in America. In Britain, oysters were added to stuffing that was more traditionally used in fowl (chicken), fish, calves head, leg of mutton, hares (rabbit) and pigs. Oyster season starts in Novemeber here. That's when the water gets too cold for crabs. I bought some Oysters locally and I plan on making some stuffing for my family when I get home. When I do-- I will post some pictures!
Maryland Beaten Biscuits- is a product of the days before chemical leavening agents were widely available (pre-1840s). Bakers pounded or beat the biscuit dough to introduce air into it, and the beating also served to disintegrate the dough’s protein (gluten). The extensive and exhaustive beating yields a final biscuit product that is tender, puffy, and flaky. Kneading the dough would not have been done because that would activate the gluten and produce a chewy bread product, which is not desired for this recipe. Beaten biscuits were traditionally made every day by baking them in small cast-iron bake kettles (Dutch Ovens), fried in a pan, or cooked on a griddle. These biscuits are perfect for dipping into stews and soups, or they can be split and coated with butter and jam, or filled with ham or other cold meats. One of my patient's told me a story about these biscuits. He used to dread the days they had beaten biscuits because he knew about 30 minutes-1 hr would be spent beating biscuits that day.
Muskrat- Well there isn't much to say about this one. Muskrats live in the marshes and are caught in traps. This is a much bigger delicacy for the older population, and I had one patient who just swore I needed to try it. I was NOT going to cook it myself, and it's harder than you think to find a place that still serves it. The Muskrat season starts December 15th, so I hope to be able to try it on my way out of Maryland. Most locals when I ask about muskrat are like "no, no, no" but I have run into a few that are ALL about it. We will see... If I try it, I will post a picture--- eeek!
Smith Island Cake- Smith Island, Maryland, is a 400-year-old fishing village of only 250 residents. Located 10 miles offshore in the Chesapeake Bay, and accessible only by ferry, it was here that the Smith Island Cake was born. The ferry that goes to Smith Island leaves from the town that I worked/lived in. Smith Island has always been a waterman's community. In the 1800's, when Smith Island men went on the autumn oyster harvest, their wives would send Smith Island Cakes as a special treat to remind them of their families and the community they had left behind. The bakers took pride in making Smith Island Cakes with the thinnest possible layers and they began using fudge instead of buttercream frosting. The watermen loved the presentation, and cakes frosted with fudge lasted much longer than cakes with other frostings. This is also the official dessert of Maryland.
Soft Crab Sandwich- This is a sandwich that is unique to Maryland. Basically crabs go through stages when they have a new shell. One of those stages is when it is soft. When it is soft, basically they cut out some things in the crab but the majority of it is fried and put on a sandwich. We tried this sandwich on Smith Island (so you know it was fresh and authentic). There was a lot of texture happening in that sandwich. It didn't taste bad, but the texture and knowing you were eating the whole crab were a little too much to overcome! Joyce (my mama) and I didn't know what to expect when we ordered it-- but it was an "interesting cultural experience." After talking to many residents at the nursing home in Crisfield locals either don't like it or love it. But honestly most say that they love it.
Old Bay Seasoning-
Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and produced in Maryland. It is produced in the Chesapeake Bay area where it was developed by German immigrant Gustav Brunn in 1939, and where the seasoning is very popular to this day. At that time, crabs were so plentiful that bars in Baltimore, Maryland, offered them free.and salty seasonings like Old Bay were created to encourage patrons to purchase more beverages. Old Bay is just one of many crab seasonings created during that era, yet it is one of only a few that survived.
I also cooked my own crab cakes for the first time!
And I steamed and tried Blue Crabs for the first time!
Scrapple- is traditionally a mush of porkscraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving. Scrapple is best known as an American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia). Scrapple is commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. I ordered some scrapple at a restaurant (after asking what it was!!) but afterward realized that it was served in the nursing home I worked at as a breakfast side and that I could buy it from the grocery store! My family is in luck (hehe) I will be making some for Christmas breakfast for everyone to try!
Here is theScrapple that I purchased at the store and am taking home.
Oyster Stuffing- is a favorite of New Englanders that dates back to the 18th century in America as oysters were predominantly found along the eastern coast of North America. Oysters had been used with or without bread crumbs for stuffing poultry or fish over 335 years. The tradition of oyster dressing was brought over from British colonists that settled in America. In Britain, oysters were added to stuffing that was more traditionally used in fowl (chicken), fish, calves head, leg of mutton, hares (rabbit) and pigs. Oyster season starts in Novemeber here. That's when the water gets too cold for crabs. I bought some Oysters locally and I plan on making some stuffing for my family when I get home. When I do-- I will post some pictures!
Muskrat- Well there isn't much to say about this one. Muskrats live in the marshes and are caught in traps. This is a much bigger delicacy for the older population, and I had one patient who just swore I needed to try it. I was NOT going to cook it myself, and it's harder than you think to find a place that still serves it. The Muskrat season starts December 15th, so I hope to be able to try it on my way out of Maryland. Most locals when I ask about muskrat are like "no, no, no" but I have run into a few that are ALL about it. We will see... If I try it, I will post a picture--- eeek!
Smith Island Cake- Smith Island, Maryland, is a 400-year-old fishing village of only 250 residents. Located 10 miles offshore in the Chesapeake Bay, and accessible only by ferry, it was here that the Smith Island Cake was born. The ferry that goes to Smith Island leaves from the town that I worked/lived in. Smith Island has always been a waterman's community. In the 1800's, when Smith Island men went on the autumn oyster harvest, their wives would send Smith Island Cakes as a special treat to remind them of their families and the community they had left behind. The bakers took pride in making Smith Island Cakes with the thinnest possible layers and they began using fudge instead of buttercream frosting. The watermen loved the presentation, and cakes frosted with fudge lasted much longer than cakes with other frostings. This is also the official dessert of Maryland.
This is the "original chocolate" Smith Island cake that we ordered ON Smith Island. I have also had pumpkin, peanut butter, chocolate and coconut flavored pieces.
Soft Crab Sandwich- This is a sandwich that is unique to Maryland. Basically crabs go through stages when they have a new shell. One of those stages is when it is soft. When it is soft, basically they cut out some things in the crab but the majority of it is fried and put on a sandwich. We tried this sandwich on Smith Island (so you know it was fresh and authentic). There was a lot of texture happening in that sandwich. It didn't taste bad, but the texture and knowing you were eating the whole crab were a little too much to overcome! Joyce (my mama) and I didn't know what to expect when we ordered it-- but it was an "interesting cultural experience." After talking to many residents at the nursing home in Crisfield locals either don't like it or love it. But honestly most say that they love it.
Old Bay Seasoning-
Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that is marketed in the United States by McCormick & Company, and produced in Maryland. It is produced in the Chesapeake Bay area where it was developed by German immigrant Gustav Brunn in 1939, and where the seasoning is very popular to this day. At that time, crabs were so plentiful that bars in Baltimore, Maryland, offered them free.and salty seasonings like Old Bay were created to encourage patrons to purchase more beverages. Old Bay is just one of many crab seasonings created during that era, yet it is one of only a few that survived.
I also cooked my own crab cakes for the first time!
I bought some "lump crab" locally at Linton's market and I followed a recipe that one of my patients verbally gave me. I fried them in the skillet. They were... ok. I think I am going to stick with someone else making my crab cakes for me! :)
The supplies for the recipe :)
The mashed up mess...
1 LB of crab made about 7 crab cakes
Here they are all fried up. They fell apart a little more than they should.
I was told that it was because I used egg whites (all I had in my fridge) instead of a regular egg.. Whoops!
The final product!
And I steamed and tried Blue Crabs for the first time!
We learned how to do this from a youtube video. I asked my patients before hand about how I to CATCH, steam them and how "pick" them, but I also needed the video :) Mom and I each had two crabs-- just a snack. This is definitely not enough to fill you up, but it was a good experience!
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