First of all, SPAM® is spelled with all capital letters and is a canned food item known world-wide. It is not spam or spamming which refers to the action of sending unsolicited commercial e-mail. It is one of the greatest business success stories!
Second, I had SPAM® once when I was an undergraduate in college and my boyfriend at the time fried it and served it in a sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and toasted white bread. Hey, he was cooking so I did eat it. This was many years ago – too many to say but I don’t recall that I didn’t like it but it obviously wasn’t a favorite as I never had SPAM® since then – until this post! At least they have removed the gelantinous goo glaze that use to surround it when you opened a can.
Funny, I don’t remember Mom ever cooking it for us. I’ve been discussing this with my 3 siblings recently and my brother thought she might have made it for Dad. I kind of doubt it as he served in World War II on the USS Antietam and probably had lots of it as many soldiers did at that time. I’m sure the thought of eating it again did not appeal to him and that is why we never had it as children.
Third, I not only enjoy cooking but I also love to learn about food history, especially American. This is a historical/informative post and after trying SPAM® in three different recipes I enjoyed the musubi with the soy glaze and also the fritters – that’s because I added a sriracha sauce. For me it would be fine in a stir-fry, maybe a quiche but not on its own as in the original 1937 recipe. SPAM® is a love-it-or-hate-it canned meat.
I’ve come to learn a lot about this symbol of American culture, kind of like Coca-Cola (my favorite soft drink when I was drinking it) or apple pie which I make often (Gene’s favorite pie).
SPAM® was first developed July 5, 1937 by J.C. Hormel in Austin, Minnesota as a means of using up the pork shoulder meat left over from the pork industry. This blend of chopped pork, or spiced ham, didn’t require refrigeration and was a moderately priced luncheon meat. Versatility, quality, great taste and convenience – no wonder it has become so popular. However, the nutritional attributes such as high content of fat, sodium and preservatives this product would not be found in my pantry!
They even held a contest to find a name for this new product and Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and brother of a Hormel vice president won the contest. SPAM® kind of identifies what is in it, a combination of shoulder of pork and ham and it was also a short name that everyone would remember.
SPAM® was a canned necessity during World War II when the troops ate it all day long. During the German occupation starving Russians were fed this. In wartime Britain, SPAM® was a big part of the troops and civilians alike as it was a great source of protein at a time when fresh meat was heavily rationed. So, from being an important food source for the military it grew to become an American Icon!
In South Korea it is considered a gourmet luxury and is often presented as a gift like chocolates or fine wine. Personally, I will always prefer chocolate and wine – I mean really!
Hawaiians are obsessed with it consuming over twice the national average. SPAM® is even served at Burger King and McDonald’s restaurants. They especially like their favorite pork product in sushi – SPAM® musubi. I think this is where I got the idea to do a post on SPAM® as my older brother lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, moving there with his Hawaiian wife after volunteering in the Peace Corps.
There are fan clubs, a race car, festivals, non-meat products such as clothing, a giant SPAM can on a pedestal in Austin, Minnesota where the company’s headquarters are. Celebrations include Hawaii’s SPAM JAM, SPAMARAMA in Austin, Minnesota; SPAM JAM in Monterey Bay.
Two cans were added in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in 1997 along with the likes of Seinfeld’s puffy shirt and The Wizard of Oz’s ruby slippers. One is an original design produced in 1937 and the other represents the can’s 1997 redesign. Well deserved as this product has been around for 83 years!
Then if you are ever in Austin, Minnesota it is home to the Spam Museum. I’m sure they have lots of good information/displays on this canned meat product.
There are two plants in the United States, one each in the Philipines, Denmark and South Korea. I would say SPAM® is loved by many to have that many plants producing it!
You can buy different flavors of SPAM®: classic , lite, low sodium, hot and spicy, hickory smoke flavored, oven roasted turkey, garlic, with cheese, with bacon, with black pepper, golden honey grail (in honor of Monty Python’s award winning Broadway musical, SPAMALOT), spread, singles and lite singles. Selections vary by region and in one store I looked just the original, lite, low sodium, bacon and singles were available.
I can’t believe how many ways you can use SPAM® – I bought a couple of small cookbooks with recipes ranging from sandwiches, eggs, fruit and can be eaten at any meal. It can be sliced, diced, chopped or grated. Hot or cold, baked or fried – the combinations are endless. Try SPAM® in quiche, scrambled eggs/omelette, fritters, Musubi (sushi with rice and nori), Asian dishes, fries, pizzas, in salads, or just plain fried for a sandwich/wrap.
I’m going to share three different, very simple recipes for cooking with SPAM®.
SPAM - Cooking an American Icon
SPAM® Fritters:
This was Britain’s favorite dish during the 1940’s…
- 12 oz. can of SPAM® – I used low sodium
Batter:
- 1 cup flour
- pinch of salt – (I didn’t add but you could use other seasonings too)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk (could use water or beer) – I used milk and added more to thin the batter
Combine all the ingredients; the mixture should be thick. Cut the SPAM® into 8 slices and coat the slices well.
Heat 2-3 tbsp. oil in a frying pan or wok to a temperature of 340 degrees. Drop the SPAM®slices coated with batter and fry for a few minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels, garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley and scallions.
Spicy Sriracha Sauce – I added:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
- 1 tbsp. ketchup
- large clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- dash of salt
- parsley, minced and scallions, chopped to garnish
Combine all ingredients (except the garnishes) and serve with the fritters.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
SPAM - Cooking An American Icon
SPAM® Classic Recipe – Hawaii Cooks With SPAM:
This is the original SPAM® recipe which appeared on the blue-and-yellow cans until 1977.
1 (12 oz.) can SPAM® (any variety)
- whole cloves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp. water
- 1 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1/2 tsp. vinegar
Place SPAM®on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Score the surface with a knife and stud with whole cloves. In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Brush this glaze over the whole loaf of SPAM® and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, basting often (occasionally is fine). Cut into slices and serve.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
After 20 minutes of baking – the glaze was good…
SPAM - Cooking an American Icon
Musubi is believed to have originated more than 2 millennia ago when the first rice balls were made.
SPAM® Musubi:
- short grain/sushi rice or jasmine rice (make whatever you need – see Note 1)
- furikake – optional (Japanese seasoning to flavor the rice – see Note 2)
- 1 (12 oz.) can SPAM® (of your choice)
- teriyaki sauce or see sauce below
- sushi nori – I cut the nori in half which was enough to go around two musubis (you can use less)
- musubi molds are great but you can also use the SPAM® can as a mold, just cut out both ends
- rice cooker (I have a Breville Risotto Plus)
Cook the rice according to instructions; a rice cooker is a nice kitchen gadget to have. Short grain rice is the type of rice to use or jasmine would be good too. See Ginger and Jasmine Tea Sushi Rice. See the recipe below if you use a rice cooker.
Slice the SPAM® lengthwise into 8 slices, or any thickness you would like. Fry the slices on both sides until slightly crisped. Add the teriyaki sauce or my sauce recipe below to coat the slices until they caramelize; set aside.
To assemble: cut a piece of nori in half. Place the musubi mold in the middle of the nori. Add a layer of rice to the bottom of a musubi maker and lightly flatten with a press. Use your fingers to make sure the rice reaches all corners. Add a SPAM® slice, press and another layer of rice. Press to flatten; remove from mold and wrap nori around it and secure with a small amount of water. These are best served warm or at room temperature. If serving later you can wrap the musubi in plastic wrap and reheat later in a skillet to crisp up the nori.
Note 1: Mikala Brennan of Hula Girl Truck suggests making sushi vinegar: 1 cup rice vinegar,1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp. kosher salt. Combine in a small saucepan and stir until dissolved. Let cool and add 2 tbsp. of this vinegar to the rice along with a tbsp. of furikake. This sounds like a good way to season 4 cups of rice.
Note 2: Furikake is a dry Japanese seasoning which is meant to be sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables and fish. The version I bought has roasted white sesame seed, roasted black sesame seed, salt, sugar, dried black seaweed and powdered sesame seeds.
Musubi Sauce:
- 6 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce of your choice
- 4 tbsp. mirin
- 4 tbsp. sugar
Combine above ingredients and pour over crispy SPAM® slices. Bring mixture to boil, reduce temperature and turn and coat the slices of meat until it thickens and begins to caramelize. Remove and keep warm.
Rice Cooker Rice – Breville Risotto Plus:
- short grain or jasmine rice
- water
- rice cooker with a scoop and a paddle
Measure the amount of rice you are making. For this recipe I used 3 cups rice and 4-1/2 cups water. First rinse/soak the rice 3 or 4 times until the water is rather clear; drain.
Add the rice to the bottom of a rice cooker and spread it out evenly. Add the water and press “rice”. Within 15 minutes the “warm” button will come on. Take off the lid and turn the rice over with a paddle. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
What a fun post to read and full of good info and recipes.
Growing up we never ever had SPAM, as my late father pledged to himself that should he survive WWII, he’d never eat or allow it in the house.
I was an adult by the time I tasted it and fell in love with fried SPAM sandwiches.
It’s even available here in Sweden, although a bit too pricey in my opinion.
We have very similar stories Ron as my Dad was a veteran of WWII! I’m sure that’s why we never ate it as kids, even though it would have been a cheap way to feed a family of six (back then anyways).
Believe it or not….I had Spam musubi for lunch yesterday! 💜
I believe you Gail! Believe it or not this was my first musubi – we never had one in Hawaii where it is so popular. My brother only cooked for us once when we were visiting (we ate out the rest of the time). I love the “insides” but the nori I’m not too sure about. I guess you can serve it without the seaweed 🙂
Nori is an acquired taste, that’s for sure. It has taken me a few years to eat it on musubi. lol 🌿🌱🍃
I probably will start out with a smaller strip as I have seen in one of my musubi cookbooks. It kind of overwhelms the delicious filling!
The poolside cafe serves their musubi with more rice. That may be the secret. It seems to balance out the seaweed. 🌊
My mother used to make the original recipe but didn’t use the cloves. She also made fried spam sandwiches with mustard. It was never something that I would say “can we have spam”. 😁
I don’t remember ever having it as kids and I was in my early 20’s before I had my only “fried SPAM sandwich” 🙂 This is not something I would make again but it was fun to research it.
Very interesting read! I never liked canned meats, but I once tried SPAM, just to understand what’s all the fuss is about. I found it way too salty (and I love salt!), so never bothered learning more about it or use it. Maybe with the low sodium option my reaction would be different! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed reading my post as I did enjoy looking through the cookbooks, online info, etc. Even the low sodium and “lite” are too salty for me – I’m not into canned meats too much either. I can see how valuable this product was during war time when fresh meat was at a premium 🙂
No doubt it has its advantages in troubled times. How lucky we are compared to all that! 🙂
interesting to read the history of Spam. Here in australia, we had camp pie which was probably much the same thing – a processed meat in a tin. oh yes and we had tinned corned beef which was a smelly, gloopy, soft paste-like thing… Urk…never again.
As reported by one of the soldiers a truckload of SPAM was exchanged for a truckload of corned beef which made the American GI’s very happy to have something different to eat. The British appreciated the exchange as well! Unless it has a lot of extra flavoring (sauces, dips, batter) SPAM is not in the least something I would eat again!
It’s fun reading about the history of Spam. It’s not a favorite of mine, but maybe I should give it another try.
It’s never been a favorite of mine but with the right recipe SPAM can be good 🙂
maybe if we’re all quarantined due to the virus, we’ll have to start eating such tinned meats again. oh no!
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