 Brand logo | |
 Products on display | |
| Product type | Precookedcanned meat product |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hormel Foods Corporation |
| Produced by | Hormel Foods Corporation |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1937 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | www |
Spam (stylized inall-caps) is a brand oflunch meat (processed cannedpork andham) made byHormel Foods Corporation, an American multinational food processing company. It was introduced in the United States in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use duringWorld War II.[1] As of 2003[update], Spam was sold in 41 countries, and trademarked in more than 100 countries, on 6 continents.[2]
Spam's main ingredient ispork,[3] with salt, water,modified potato starch (as abinder), sugar, andsodium nitrite (as apreservative). Naturalgelatin is formed during cooking in itscans on the production line.[4] It is available in different flavors, some using different meats, as well as in "lite" and lower-sodium versions.[5][6] Spam is precooked, making it safe to consume straight from the can, but it is often cooked further for taste.
Concerns about Spam's nutritional attributes have been raised because it contains twice as much of the daily dietary recommendation of fat as it does of protein, and about thehealth effects of salt and preservatives.[7]
Spam has become part of popular culture, includinga Monty Python sketch, which repeated the name many times, leading to its name being borrowed to describeunsolicited electronic messages, especiallyemail.[8] It is occasionally celebrated at festivals such asSpamarama inAustin, Texas.
Hormel introduced Spam on July 5, 1937.[9][10]The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America states that the product was intended to increase the sale ofpork shoulder, a cut which did not sell well.[9] Ken Daigneau, the brother of a company executive, won a $100 prize that year in a competition to name the new item.[9] Hormel states that the meaning of the name "is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives", but a popular belief is that the name is acontraction of "spiced ham".[9][11] It has also been speculated to be an acronym for "shoulder ofporkand ham".[12]
The difficulty of delivering fresh meat to the front duringWorld War II saw Spam become a ubiquitous part of the U.S. soldier's diet. It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical", "meatloaf without basic training",[1][13] and "SPecialArmyMeat". Over 150 million pounds (75,000 short tons) of Spam were received by the military before the war's end.[14] However, several troops grew tired of the product. They expressed their frustrations in written letters toJay Hormel, the president of the company, about the presence of Spam at every meal.[15] Despite this disparagement, throughout the war, countries ravaged by the conflict and faced with strict food rations came to appreciate Spam.[16]
During World War II and the occupations that followed, Spam was introduced intoGuam,Hawaii,Okinawa, thePhilippines, and other islands in the Pacific. Immediately absorbed into native diets, it has become a unique part of the history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific islands.[17] As a consequence ofWorld War II rationing and theLend-Lease Act, Spam was sold in the United Kingdom. British Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher later referred to it as a "wartime delicacy".[18][19] In addition to increasing production for the U.K., Hormel expanded Spam output as part of Allied aid to the Soviet Union.[20] In his memoirKhrushchev Remembers,Nikita Khrushchev declared: "Without Spam, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army."[9][21]
The billionth can of Spam was sold in 1959,[22] and the eight billionth can was sold in 2012.[23]
Domestically, Spam's chief advantages were affordability, accessibility, andextended shelf life.[14] Statistics from the 1990s say that 3.8 cans of Spam were consumed every second in the United States,[24] totaling nearly 122 million cans annually. It became part of the diet of almost 30% of American households, perceived differently in various regions of the country.[25] It is also sometimes associated with economic hardship because of its relatively low cost.[1]
After World War II, Spam changed roles in the U.S. from being the main protein source to being a side dish or ingredient used in items like sandwiches and eggs.[26]
Spam that is sold in North America, South America, and Australia is produced inAustin, Minnesota (also known as "Spam Town USA"), and inDubuque, Iowa.[27] Austin, Minnesota also had a restaurant with a menu devoted exclusively to Spam called "Johnny's SPAMarama Menu".[28]
Residents of the state ofHawaii have the highest per capita consumption in the United States, bringing in sales of 7 million cans of Spam per year.[29] Its perception there is very different from that on the mainland.[30] Hawaiians sometimes call it "Portagee Steak".[31]
A local dish in Hawaii isSpam musubi, in which cooked Spam is placed on top ofrice and wrapped in a band ofnori, a form ofonigiri or riceball.[32] Varieties of Spam are found in Hawaii and Saipan that are unavailable in other markets, including Honey Spam, and Hot and Spicy Spam.[33]
HawaiianBurger King restaurants began serving Spam in 2007 to compete with the localMcDonald's chains (which also serve Spam).[17][34] In Hawaii, Spam is so popular that it is sometimes referred to as "The Hawaiian Steak".[35] There is even an annual Spam-themed festival on the island ofOahu each spring, known as the "Waikiki Spam Jam".[36] Local chefs and restaurants compete to create new Spam-themed dishes, which are then sold in a massive street fair on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.
In 2017, Hawaii was plagued by a rash of thefts of Spam.[37] Spam had long been a target of thieves in Hawaii, but the magnitude of the thefts ramped up, with incidents in which multiple cases of Spam were stolen at once. Local retailers believe organized crime was involved.[37] This came alongside increases in thefts of some other retail goods, such ascorned beef and liquor. The president of the retail merchants of Hawaii attributed the rise in retail thefts to a recent change in criminal law, which raised the threshold at which a theft would lead tofelony charges by approximately $400.[37]
InGuam, the average per capita consumption is 16 tins (cans) per year. It is also found on McDonald's menus there. TheSpam Games also occur in Guam, where locals sample and honor the best original, homemade Spam recipes.[38]
In theNorthern Mariana Islands, lawyers from Hormel have threatened to sue the local press for publishing articles alleging ill effects of high Spam consumption on the health of the local population.[39][40]
Sandwich de Mezcla is a party staple inPuerto Rico containing Spam,Velveeta, andpimientos (made into a spread) between two slices ofsandwich bread.[41]
After World War II, Newforge Foods, part of the Fitch Lovell group, was awarded the license to produce the product in the U.K. at its Belle Vale factory,Liverpool,[42] where it stayed until production switched to theDanish Crown Group (owners of the Tulip Food Company) in 1998.[43]
The United Kingdom has adapted Spam into various recipes, for example, sliced, battered anddeep-fried intoSpam fritters.[44]
Loof, a cannedcorned beef product often featured inIsraeli Defense Forces rations, was popularly known as "kosher Spam",[45] because it contains no pork.
In the Philippines, Spam (currently distributed bythe Purefoods-Hormel Company Inc.) is a popular food item seen as a cultural symbol.[47] Spam reached the islands similarly as it did other former US colonies such asHawaii andGuam: as a result ofWorld War II rationing. Spam is commonly eaten with rice (usuallygarlic fried rice) and a sunny-side-up egg for breakfast.[47] It is prepared and used in a variety of ways, including being fried,[47][48] caramelized,[47] served with condiments,[48] or in sandwiches.[48] It has also been featured in numerous Filipinofusion cuisine dishes, including Spam burgers, Spamspaghetti, and Spam nuggets.[48][49][50]
The popularity of Spam in the Philippines transcends economic class, and the canned product is even given during holidays. There are at least ten different varieties of Spam currently available in the country, and an estimated 1.25 million kilos of the meat is sold every year in the Philippines.[51] Its popularity among Filipinos has led to the creation of a version with sugar and annatto—Tocino-flavor Spam, made for the overseas Filipino market in the US and Canada.[52] During the rescue efforts afterTyphoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009, Hormel Foods donated over 30,000 pounds of Spam to thePhilippine National Red Cross.[53]
In mainland China, Hormel decided to adopt a different strategy to market Spam (Chinese:世棒;pinyin:Shìbàng),[54] promoting it as a foreign, premium food product and changing the Spam formula to be meatier to accommodate local Chinese tastes.[55] Spam-like canned pork products are also produced by other food companies in China as "luncheon meat" (Chinese:午餐肉;pinyin:Wǔcānròu;Jyutping:Ng5 caan1 juk6).
After World War II, meat was scarce and expensive inHong Kong, so Spam was an accessible, affordable alternative. The luncheon meat has been incorporated into dishes such as macaroni with fried egg and Spam in chicken soup, egg and Spam sandwiches, andinstant ramen.[56] Nowadays, Spam remains a staple in Hong Kong’s low to middle-income families.
Spam was exported to Korea post-World War II, whose population was on the brink of starvation.[57] Spam returned to South Korea and was widely consumed during theKorean War.[57][58] US soldiers deployed to South Korea used Spam as a means of trading for items, services, or information around their bases.[59] Spam and other meats were smuggled out of US military installations for the local population.[60] Its popularity led to the creation of the Spamkimbap (rice and vegetable filled seaweed roll) in Korean cuisine.[61] Because of a scarcity of fish and other traditional kimbap products such askimchi or fermented cabbage, Spam was added to a rice roll with kimchi and cucumber and wrapped in seaweed. Spam is also an original ingredient inbudae jjigae (부대찌개;lit. 'army base stew'), a spicy stew with different types of preserved meat or kimchi.[62]
InSouth Korea, Spam (Korean: 스팸;RR: seupaem, licensed from Hormel byCJ CheilJedang)[63] is popular[64] with a majority of the population.[65] As of 2004[update], South Korea produced and consumed more Spam than any other country except the United States.[66][67] It is considered something of a luxury dish and is a common gift forKorean New Year combined with cooking oil and seasoning.[57]
InOkinawa,Japan, the product is added intoonigiri alongside eggs and used as a staple ingredient in the traditional Okinawan dishchanpurū, and a Spam burger is sold by local fast food chainJef. For the 70th anniversary of Spam in 2007, cans with special designs were sold in Japan due to its popularity, primarily in Okinawa.[68]Following the March 2011 earthquake, Spam sales in Japan declined, and Hormel shifted its focus to China,[55] although Hormel did pledge to donate $100,000 along with cans of Spam for relief efforts.[69]
In the summer of 2011, Burger King introduced its own version of a burger made of Spam, called 'BK Shot' Spam Burgers. These small burgers are filled with slices of the canned meat and were an attempt by Burger King to capitalize on Spam's popularity in Japan.[70] In early 2014, Burger King also introduced the Spam and Cheese burger as a breakfast menu item.[71]
From 1940 to 1941, Spam sponsoredGeorge Burns andGracie Allen on theirradio program.[72]
During World War II, Spam was not only eaten but was also incorporated into many other aspects of the war (grease for guns, cans for scrap metal, etc.); it was so prominent thatUncle Sam was nicknamed "Uncle Spam".[73] Other terms influenced by the product's name include the European invasion fleet or the "Spam Fleet". Furthermore, theUnited Service Organizations (USO) toured the "Spam Circuit".[14] In 1943, comedianSuzette Tarri appeared as the harassed waitress character "Mrs Spam" in the British filmSomewhere in Civvies.[74]
In the United States in the aftermath of World War II, a troupe of former servicewomen was assembled by Hormel Foods to promote Spam from coast to coast. The group was known as the Hormel Girls and associated the food with patriotism. In 1948, two years after its formation, the troupe had grown to 60 women, with 16 forming an orchestra. The show became a radio program where the main selling point was Spam. The Hormel Girls were disbanded in 1953.[75]
Spam has long had a somewhat dubious reputation in the United States and (to a lesser degree) in the United Kingdom as apoverty food. The image of Spam as a low-cost meat product gave rise to the Scottish colloquial term "Spam valley" to describe certain affluent housing areas where residents have an outward appearance of wealth but, in private, may be living at poverty levels.[76]
Spam was featured in an iconic 1970Monty Python sketch titled "Spam",[9] the concluding sketch of episode 12 of series 2 ofMonty Python's Flying Circus. Set in a greasy-spoon café, every dish on the menu contains Spam, such as "egg and Spam", "egg bacon and Spam", and "Spam egg sausage and Spam", but many dishes contain mostly Spam, such as "Spam egg Spam Spam bacon and Spam".[77] A modified audio version of the sketch appeared on Monty Python's 1972 LPAnother Monty Python Record, and was also released as a 7" single.
The sketch concluded with a chorus of Vikings boisterously singing a song – "Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam", which, by the 1990s, led to "Spam" being adopted as a term forunsolicited electronic messages, especiallyspam email,[78] because in the song, the repeated singing of the word "Spam" drowns out all other communication.
Because Spam was mentioned in a song inMonty Python and the Holy Grail,[79] "We dine well here in Camelot/We eat ham and jam and Spam a lot", the title of the musical version of the film becameSpamalot.
Spam is the subject of the"Weird Al" Yankovic song "Spam", which is a parody of theR.E.M. song "Stand".[80] Other offshoots of Spam in popular culture include a book ofhaikus about Spam titledSpam-Ku: Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf. There is also a mock Church of Spam and a Spam Cam, which is a webcam trained on a can of decaying Spam.[81]
In 2017 the SPAM® brand team launched the boy band ALL4SPAM in the Philippines as part of a new advertisement campaign in the region.[82]
Spam is referred to inIsland of the Sequined Love Nun byChristopher Moore, where SPAM is explained asShaped Pork Approximating Man, which was used to explain its popularity amongst Pacific island cannibals.[83] InTop Gear: Polar Special,James May took a can of Spam to themagnetic North Pole andJeremy Clarkson destroyed it with a shotgun.
Introduced in 2008'sFallout 3 and seen in later entries tothe franchise, a common foodstuff item called "Cram", a can of processed meat that serves as a parody of Spam, is used as a health regenerative item. ThePumpkin Spice Spam, introduced in September 2019, has gained the attention of the media and the public.[84]
Spam is celebrated in Austin, Minnesota, home to theSpam Museum. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture.
Austin is also the location of the final judging in the national Spam recipe competition. Competing recipes are collected from winning submissions at the top 40 state fairs in the nation. The Spamettes are a quartet from Austin that only sing about Spam in parodies of popular songs. They first performed at the first Spam Jam in 1990 and continue to perform at various events.[85]
Hawaii holds an annualSpam Jam inWaikiki during the last week of April.[86] The small town ofShady Cove, Oregon, is home to the annual Spam Parade and Festival, with the city allocating US$1,500 for it.[87]
Spamarama was a yearly festival from 1978 to 2007 inAustin, Texas, which had a peak attendance of 14,000. The themed events included a Spam cook-off (to contrast with Texas chili cook-offs) and the Spamalymplics, including a "Spam toss" and a Spamburger (a 12-ounce portion on a bun) eating contest. The event returned in 2019.[88]
On August 8, 2021,L&L Hawaiian Barbecue established "National SPAM Musubi Day" to celebrate the iconic snack from Hawaii.[89] The celebration also happened on August 8, 2022, and has since become an annual celebration.[90]
The ingredients of Spam vary according to variety and market; those of variety "Spam Classic" are pork with ham, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite.[91][92] Sodium nitrite is a common preservative used in highly processed meat products. Excessive consumption has been linked to many health issues.[93]
| Substance | Quantity per 100g serving |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,300 kJ (310calories or kilocalories) |
| Protein | 13g (26% daily value or DV) |
| Total fat | 27g (41% DV) |
| of which:saturated fat | 10g (49% DV) |
| Carbohydrates | 3g (1% DV) |
| Sodium | 1369 mg (57% DV) |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg (23% DV) |
| Vitamins andminerals (% DV) | 1% vitamin C, 1% calcium, 5% iron, 3% magnesium, 9% potassium, 12% zinc, and 5% copper |
| Net weight per package: 340 grams (12 oz.) | |
The official Spam website lists numerous different flavors of Spam products. Some varieties are permanent, but some others are limited time only.[95] In addition to the variety of flavors, Spam is sold in tins smaller than the standard twelve-ounce (340 g) size. Spam Singles are also available, which are single sandwich-sized slices of Spam Classic or Lite, sealed inretort pouches.[96]
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