“SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, Lovely SPAM! Wonderful SPAM! “ So chirped Monty Python in their famous 1970 sketch and they’re not the only ones who have had fun with SPAM; we mean, smooth, salty, pink meat in a can? It’s the perfect object of derision and fodder for popular culture humour. SPAM features in our Korean Army Noodles recipe and it’s probably not a grocery item you usually buy. So if you’re wondering what the heck SPAM is, and if people actually eat it, you’ve come to the right place. And yes, they do still eat it. Maybe just not you. Or us, very often. 

SPAM was first made by Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937 in America. Where else? Demand for it went bananas during WW2 when it became an important part of army food rations; 100 million pounds (which equates to about 45,359,237 kg) was shipped off to fortify allied troops, earning it the nickname “the meat that won the war.” In post war America, SPAM became a symbol of convenience and modernity and was used in a variety of dishes such as SPAM meatloaf (wait; isn’t it ALREADY technically a loaf of meat?), SPAM fried rice, SPAM and pineapple skewers, SPAM casserole, SPAM salad (a mix of SPAM, mayo, celery and pickles) and, our fave, SPAM jell-o salad where it’s diced and set in a gelatine mixture along with with veggies like peas, carrots and sometimes olives. (The recipe for this currently on cooks.com lists lime jello, SPAM, mayo, sour cream, chopped boiled eggs, capsicum, sweet relish, celery and tabasco as the ingredients. Let that sink in. Especially the lime jelly part).

But what exactly IS SPAM? It’s a mixture of pork shoulder and ham, minced and smooshed together with salt, water, sugar and sodium nitrate, a preservative which maintains shelf life as well as the trademark pink colour. The mixture is packed into sealed cans, then cooked at high temperature. It’s popularly believed the name is a word play on ‘spiced ham,’ but an alternate story is that a brother of a Hormel company executive won a product naming competition, winning $100 to come up with SPAM. Genius, really.

SPAM still has its fans, and not just in America (where there is even a SPAM Museum. It’s in Austin, Minnesota if you’re keen to visit). It’s also big in the Philippines, where it features in a favourite breakfast dish with rice and eggs, in Japan where its used in a variety of dishes including nigiri balls, and yes, in Korea. South Korea is the world’s second largest consumer of the stuff, eating half as much as America, which has six times the population. A Korean supermarket staple, it’s even included in fancy holiday gift boxes as it’s considered a huge treat. SPAM became popular during the Korean War when it was introduced by the American Army and, as well as spawning the iconic Army Noodles, it features in a heap of other dishes including fried rice, sushi-style rolls, pancakes, toasted sandwiches, rolled omelettes and more.