Spam: Mystery or Miracle Meat in a Can?

Twice a year in Korea, at Chuseok, a Harvest/Ancestral Holiday and Sollal, Korea's Lunar New Year, boxed gift sets of soap, sesame seed oil, tuna, and Spam are given as gifts to family, friends, and colleagues.

Some of these gifts seem practical like hand soap or even sesame seed oil, but for all the years I have been in Korea, I could never understand why Spam is so popular here, not only as a gift, but also a part of the Korean's diet in dishes like Budae-chigae (a stew made of Spam, kimchi, hot dogs and ramen that originated during the Korean War). To be sure, when I was a kid growing up back home in the Midwest, Spam was usually the subject of jokes and urban legends that became a part of popular culture and folklore, which all pretty much asked the same question: what exactly is this "mystery" meat in the can?

The history of Spam, a canned precooked meat that is made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, dates back to July 5, 1937 when the product first entered our culinary vernacular and digestive tracts. The name "Spam" was first used because the product's original name, Hormel Spiced Ham wasn't too memorable enough and just didn't cut it. Although the original meaning of Spam, according to one Hormel official meant "Shoulder of Pork and Ham" other backronyms (and some hilarious ones at that) have included "Specially Processed American Meats," "Spare Parts Animal Meat," "Stuff, Pork, and Ham," and my favorite, "Something Posing as Meat."

The original classic Spam (believe it or not, there are 12 varieties of Spam, including Spam Lite, Spam Mild, Spam Golden Honey Grail and if you are a spreader and not a slicer, there's Spam Spreadable) ingredients include chopped pork shoulder meat, ham, water, salt, sugar, and sodium nitrate to keep its color. As for its gelatinous glaze, or aspic, this is formed when the meat cools.

And just how nutritious is Spam? A two-ounce serving provides seven grams of protein, two grams of carbohydrates and fifteen grams of fat (including just six grams of saturated fat) and for those watching their calories, only 170 calories. Not surprisingly, Spam provides very little in vitamins and minerals.

Sold in 41 countries around the world, outside of the US, the largest consumers of Spam are the United Kingdom and South Korea.

Although it is popular in the US, it is often associated with economic hard times. Interestingly, Hawaii and Guam consume the most Spam per capita in the United States.

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