[rollei_list] OT: Jersey Pork Roll

Think of an early form of SPAM, that Hormel delight which reminded the rest of the US that Wisconsin exists as something other than the state which hosts the only Major League baseball team to switch leagues for the past century and more.
Pip parts. Grind 'em up. Add common spices. Smoke the mess for 24 hours. It ends up as a relatively firm foodstuff which can be sliced and cooked in a number of ways: before SPAM appeared, New Jersey housewives would bake a loaf with pineapple slices on top. The origins are rather mythic but it does seem to have first been ordered by Washington for the Continental Army during those dark days around Valley Forge. Classic European Army rations of the time were salami and cheese -- these last a LONG time in a soldier's haversack -- but, alas!, "Little Italy" in New York did not yet exist nor did the various firms in Minnesota which now can supply us with Gelbwurst and Bierwurst and Westphalian-style hams, und so weiter, so Jersey Pork Roll filled the gap.
It is most commonly eaten as a breakfast food. You have to notch a slice four times or so on the periphery to prevent it from buckling up as it fries. It is conventionally eaten on a soft Kaiser roll or the like, with Mayonnaise and mustard. Cheese and scrambled eggs are often added. All Pork Roll is made in Trenton by four different companies -- Taylor makes it under their own name and as "Trenton by Taylor", and then there are Case and Kohler and Loefler. Taylor is the big noise but, personally, I prefer Loefler as they seem to use a slightly more subtle spice mix.
Taylor has been making Jersey Pork Roll since the 1850's. As a result, Taylor has become the eponymous brand. Stop into any roadside mart along Interstate 95 or the Jersey Turnpike and you will be offered "THEC", or Taylor Hame, Egg, and Cheese; they will often ask if you want "SPK" with that -- Salt, Pepper, and Ketchup. Personally, hold the Ketchup. (There is a diner in Roanoke, Virginia, which has a similar code and you have to eat there for years to know that just what a "Chili with" means or a "Cheezy with" or the like. But, then, the Texas Tavern and I go back to 1969 or so, and I do know both the owner and the lingo. After all, they bank at the same institution as I do, when I have some money to bank.)
Pork Roll is available at odd locations across the US, such as Publix in Florida and The Fresh Market and Safeway in Virginia. But even Jerry Lehrer can return to the days of his youth by ordering it over the 'Net from: 

http://www.jerseyboyporkroll.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi
This is HIGHLY recommended. A THEC on a Kaiser with the eggs slightly runny is a delight. Many folks grill it but I prefer mine fried but, then, as they say, Your Mileage May Vary. 

Marc


msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!

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