SPAM, the canned processed meat product that has developed a cult following, was launched by Hormel Meals on today in historical past, July 5, 1937.
The thriller meat’s elements are usually not so mysterious in any case, in accordance with the official web site for SPAM (a combo of the phrases “spiced ham”).
Consisting of “six easy elements” — pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrate — SPAM has “a comparatively easy, standard” manufacturing course of, says its web site.
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“First, the pork and ham are pre-ground. Then, salt, sugar and the remainder of the elements are added and blended, to achieve the specified temperature,” the positioning factors out.
“From there, the combination is moved over to the canning line, the place it’s stuffed into the acquainted metallic cans, 12 ounces at a time.”
![Can of spam on grocery shelf being held by person](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/1200/675/GettyImages-1265236889.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
SPAM was launched to the world in July 1937. Hormel claimed in 2022 that some 13 cans of SPAM had been consumed each second. (Newscast/Common Photographs Group through Getty Photographs)
The stuffed cans are then delivered to a “closing machine,” the place they’re vacuum sealed.
The cans are then cooked and cooled for a three-hour interval, are given labels and are then put into circumstances, the SPAM web site particulars.
Starting in 1941, SPAM was despatched all over the world to feed Allied troops throughout World Conflict II, says the SPAM web site.
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For the reason that meat is pre-cooked and tinned, it’s shelf-stable and excellent for delivery lengthy distances.
Over 100 million kilos of SPAM had been despatched to feed the troops, the positioning signifies.
In 1959, the one-billionth can of SPAM was offered.
The recognition of SPAM has led to at the least two annual festivals in the US.
As of 2023, over 9 billion cans of SPAM have been offered all through the world, the corporate says.
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The recognition of SPAM has led to at the least two annual festivals in the US that remember the product, in addition to the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota.
Austin, Minnesota, can also be house to the SPAM Jam, a pageant about all issues SPAM-related.
![Stacks of spam](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/1200/675/GettyImages-537799082.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Stacks of SPAM sit on grocery retailer cabinets. The product has offered greater than 9 billion tins because it was launched on July 5, 1937. (Getty Photographs)
Whereas Hormel Meals is headquartered in Minnesota, one other state has taken a specific liking to SPAM: Hawaii.
“Extra SPAM is consumed per individual in Hawaii than in another state in the US,” in accordance with the web site for the Waikiki SPAM JAM, the opposite SPAM-focused meals pageant.
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“Nearly seven million cans of SPAM are eaten yearly in Hawaii,” mentioned the pageant’s webpage.
It’s so well-liked within the state that McDonald’s launched SPAM merchandise in its Hawaiian eating places in 2002, the Related Press famous on the time.
![A cashier at a McDonald's location in Wahiawa, Hawaii, stands behind an advertisement for the then-new SPAM, Eggs and Rice Breakfast Platter in June 2002. Hawaii's residents consume more SPAM compared to residents of any other U.S. state.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/1200/675/GettyImages-709216.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A cashier at a McDonald’s location in Wahiawa, Hawaii, stands behind an commercial for the then-new SPAM, Eggs and Rice Breakfast Platter in June 2002. Hawaii’s residents devour extra SPAM in comparison with residents of another U.S. state. (Phil Mislinski/Getty Photographs)
SPAM can also be a well-liked ingredient in numerous Asian cuisines, notably Korean.
South Koreans devour extra SPAM than the residents of another nation in addition to the US, the Hormel Meals web site notes.
Regardless of having solely a sixth of the inhabitants of the US, South Koreans devour half as a lot SPAM every year.
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The favored Korean dish “budae jjigae” — which interprets to “Military stew” or “Military base stew” — developed after the Korean Conflict, when an financial downturn meant that meat was scarce and costly.
A U.S. Military base within the South Korean metropolis of Uijeongbu had a surplus of varied processed meals, together with SPAM — which “was completely new to Koreans,” Korean chef and YouTube creator Maangchi mentioned on her web site.
![a bowl of Budae-jjigae, a Korean dish that features SPAM](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/06/1200/675/iStock-1309116531.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Budae jjigae, or “Military Stew,” was comprised of elements that had been discovered on U.S. Military bases in South Korea after the Korean Conflict, together with SPAM. (iStock)
“Ultimately these elements made their means into surrounding areas of the bottom and a few inventive Koreans made stew from them,” she mentioned.
“They boiled spam, ham, sausages and baked beans with kimchi, garlic and sizzling pepper paste and flakes, making a Korean-style stew with American elements.”
At the same time as South Korea’s economic system rebounded, the stew — and SPAM as an entire — remained extraordinarily well-liked.
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SPAM has been obtainable in as many as 15 varieties in recent times, together with SPAM Traditional, SPAM Lite, SPAM 25% Much less Sodium, SPAM Maple Flavored, SPAM with Actual HORMEL Bacon, SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey, SPAM Hickory Smoke Flavored, SPAM Scorching & Spicy, SPAM Jalapeño, SPAM Chorizo, SPAM Teriyaki and SPAM with Tocino Flavoring, in accordance with Hormel Meals.
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Restricted version flavors SPAM Pumpkin Spice and SPAM Figgy Pudding had been produced in 2019 and 2022, respectively, says the SPAM web site.
In 2022, Hormel claimed that some 13 cans of SPAM had been consumed each second, in accordance with Encyclopedia Britannica.