Throw your snoot in the air. Wave it like you just don't care - November 9 is National Scrapple Day!

But what exactly is scrapple, you ask? Per chef Andrew Little at Sheppard Mansion in Hanover, Pennsylvania, "Scrapple is affectionately known as 'everything but the squeal.' It is traditionally a loaf made with the leftover bits of the butchering of hogs. Spices and buckwheat flour are added while the pork is cooking, and the entire mix is poured into loaf pans to chill and set."

He continued, "Once chilled, thick slices are cut and pan-fried. If you want to start a spirited conversation in central Pennsylvania, ask someone if they eat their scrapple with ketchup or syrup. Be prepared for a detailed answer!"

And as for what those "bits" consist of - perhaps it's best not to delve too deeply. Devotees of the pantheon of loaf meats (scrapple, goetta, livermush, liver pudding, souse, C-loaf, etc.) are well aware that the deliciousness of this delicacy derives partially from the satisfaction of having been thrifty and employed every last part of a pig.

Or, in the case of this classic recipe (that employs cornmeal rather then buckwheat), cow trimmings will suffice - we're going for thrifty, not picky.

Scrapple

from Recipes for Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Dishes

1/2 lb chopped raw meat (beef or pork)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup corn meal

1 medium onion chopped

1 1/4 quarts water

Brown onion slowly in a little fat. Add meat, seasoning and water. Cook at simmering point 20 minutes. Add to corn meal and boil for 1 hour. Turn into a mold, cool, cut into slices and fry in fat until brown. Serve with gravy or tomato sauce.