Mid-Atlantic Regional Foods: Scrapple and Crabs

Mid-Atlantic regional foods are the dishes of a stretch of coast and farmland between New York and Virginia: scrapple fried in a skillet, soft shell crabs from the bay, Smith Island cake and a pork roll sandwich that gets its own argument. The region is often passed through in a hurry, but its tables repay a slower trip.

Four dishes lead the list, and the rest of the region follows: Smith Island cake, scrapple and the sandwiches of the shore. Plan a slower trip than the interstate allows.

What are the Mid-Atlantic regional foods to know?

Four dishes lead the list: scrapple, soft shell crabs, Smith Island cake and pork roll. Beyond those, the region is known for Maryland crab cakes, steamed crabs with seasoning, Delaware sub sandwiches and Pennsylvania pretzels. Each state claims some of these as its own.

A trip through the region can pick one dish per state. That makes a good route.

What is scrapple?

Scrapple is a Mid-Atlantic breakfast meat. It was developed by Pennsylvania Dutch cooks who stretched leftover pork with cornmeal and spices, then pressed it into a loaf that could be sliced and fried. In Delaware, one source credits Pennsylvania Dutch influence and says it is part of the state's regional food identity. Breakfast spots from Lewes to Fenwick Island serve it. Maryland has promoted a Scrapple Trail to celebrate it.

Good scrapple is fried until the edges are crisp and the inside is soft. Eat it with eggs, with maple syrup or with ketchup, depending on the household.

When are soft shell crabs in season?

Soft shell crabs are blue crabs caught right after they molt, before the new shell hardens, so the whole animal can be eaten. One source places the peak window in late spring through early summer. They are fried lightly, sautéed or stuffed, and served on a plate or in a sandwich.

Ask when the crabs arrived. A fresh one is sweet and tender with a crisp coating. A frozen one is acceptable but lacks the same sweetness.

What is Smith Island cake?

Smith Island cake is Maryland's official state dessert, designated in 2008. It comes from Smith Island in Somerset County, in the Chesapeake Bay, and is made of eight to ten thin yellow layers separated by cooked chocolate icing. A slice stands tall and looks dramatic.

A good cake has thin, tender layers, and the icing should be fudgy, not grainy. It is a dessert for sharing.

What is pork roll?

Pork roll, called Taylor ham in the north of New Jersey, is a processed pork product that is sliced, scored and fried, and served with egg and cheese on a roll. It is a New Jersey breakfast sandwich and the subject of an argument over its name. The signature version is crisp at the edges and soft in the middle.

For a full guide, see the pork roll page below. Order it at a diner or deli, and ask for it well done if you like the edges crisp.

Where does Delaware fit in?

Delaware sits between Pennsylvania and Maryland and borrows from both. Scrapple is the clearest link to Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, and the bay and ocean give the state its seafood. Local beers and pizza joints add to the picture. A day trip from Wilmington to the beach touches most of them.

Delaware also has its own sub sandwich tradition, and a few shops there have grown into chains.

A few words on timing and manners. Crab houses are noisy, messy places where paper covers the table and a mallet is part of the service, so wear something you do not mind splattering. Diners are quick, so know your order and say it clearly. Cake is usually sold by the slice and meant to be shared. If you are traveling by car, a cooler in the trunk lets you carry cake or crab dip home, and a few paper towels will save your upholstery.

How to taste the region

Start with breakfast. Order scrapple and eggs at a diner. Move to lunch with a pork roll sandwich or a crab cake. Save the afternoon for a walk, then have dinner with soft shell crabs in season. End the day with a slice of Smith Island cake.

Eat what the people around you eat. Mid-Atlantic diners and crab houses are friendly places, and the regulars will happily tell you what to order.

What to know about seasons

Crabs have a season, and so do oysters, tomatoes and corn. Check what is fresh before you travel, and ask your server. A crab house closed for the winter is a disappointment, and a diner that serves scrapple all year is a reliable stand-by.

Menus change, and so do hours. Look at a recent listing.

What else should you read around the Mid-Atlantic?

The Delaware food worth a drive guide covers the small state, the best pit beef in Baltimore page covers a city sandwich and the Chesapeake fall crab and oyster season guide covers the bay in autumn. The US guides page lists more cities.

Regional food is a memory game. Get the Mosey app, rate every crab, slice of scrapple and layer of cake you try, and build a Mid-Atlantic list that remembers where each one was best.