Lovina Eicher makes it in this week’s edition of Lovina’s Amish Kitchen.

As she describes it, pon hoss is “a fried dish made from leftover hog meat.” It is also another name for scrapple.

Photo: Lovina’s Amish Kitchen

The dish was first created by German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. Here is more on how it gets made:

On Saturday, we helped sister Emma and Jacob butcher two hogs. Sister Emma served us all breakfast when we arrived; we enjoyed a breakfast casserole.

After the meat was cut, we rendered the lard and cooked the pork off the bones. The meat from the bones was put through the grinder and then added back to the cooking water.

Flour, salt and black pepper were added to the cooking water, making 17 gallons of pon hoss, a fried dish made from leftover hog meat. We added four cups of flour, two tablespoons of salt, and one tablespoon of black pepper to each gallon of juice. The flour is sifted so it doesn’t get chunky, and someone stirs constantly to keep it from sticking to the big kettle while it cooks over an open fire. After the pon hoss is thickened, it is taken off the fire and poured into pans to cool. After it is cooled it can be sliced and fried in a pan until golden on each side. It can be fried longer for a crispier taste, if preferred.

You can understand how dishes like this would become popular in frugal PA Dutch and Amish farm homes. I am a fan of pon hoss but prefer not to ponder the preparation process.

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