Boldly celebrating an unusual art form, the annual scrapple sculpting contest in Philadelphia recently crowned its winner with a creative nod to football culture. But here's where it gets controversial: the winning piece wasn’t your typical sculpture—it was crafted from scrapple, a beloved yet often misunderstood regional pork delicacy.
The triumph went to Patrick Moser, a tattoo artist from Norristown, whose entry—named the “Mush Push”—paid homage to the Philadelphia Eagles’ famed short-yardage maneuver, the “tush push.” This playful, yet skillfully executed piece snagged first place at the lighthearted competition, an event marking the start of the Scrapple & Apple Festival held at Reading Terminal Market.
Contestants, including Moser and 11 others, were each challenged to create a piece of art from five pounds (about 2.25 kilograms) of scrapple. With just 90 minutes and a set of sculpting tools, they brought their imaginative concepts to life under the watchful eye of Sasha Suda, the chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, who served as the expert judge.
Moser, in describing his work, cleverly called it “Caravaggio meets Siriani.” This reference fuses the classical Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known for his dynamic and dramatic artistic style, with Nick Sirianni, the Philadelphia Eagles’ current head coach. The “tush push,” sometimes referred to as the “brotherly shove,” is a signature play by the NFL champions that has defied opposing teams’ attempts to stop it.
As for scrapple itself, while it often draws jokes, it holds a cherished place in Pennsylvania’s culinary heritage. Originating with the German settlers in eastern Pennsylvania during colonial times, scrapple can be a genuine pork treat when prepared carefully. Found commonly in diners and farmhouse kitchens across the state, it’s a comfort food with deep roots.
Marlin Dietrich, proprietor of Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store in Krumsville, Pennsylvania, explains that making scrapple is a labor-intensive process requiring hours to cook. Dietrich boils down a mixture of beef and pork bones, then seasons the broth with salt, pepper, and coriander. He thickens the mixture using buckwheat flour and roasted cornmeal before frying it into the crispy slices loved by many. Dietrich personally enjoys scrapple paired with apple butter, another staple of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, often eating it for breakfast a couple of times a week. When hearing about the art contest, he admitted, "Making a sculpture? That’s a shame."
Despite his reservations, Moser’s creation—depicting what some might see as indistinct lumps of football players—won the contest, earning him a trophy and a $100 gift card. But the public wasn’t left out of the fun: the sculptures were displayed at the market for visitors to vote on the following day.
Last year’s champion was quite different—a scrapple sculpture in the form of a cookie jar featuring a rooster with an egg inside, showcasing the contest’s playful and creative spirit.
And if one football-inspired scrapple sculpture isn’t enough to satisfy your curiosity, the festival itself boasts an array of imaginative scrapple-themed foods. These include scrapple fries, an andouille scrapple breakfast sandwich, scrapple apple cookies, scrapple quiche, and even a scrapple cheesesteak.
Here's a food for thought: does turning scrapple into art elevate this humble dish, or does it risk turning a beloved tradition into a mere novelty? What do you think—does this fusion of culinary culture and art hit the mark or miss it? Share your thoughts below and join the conversation!
