The SPAM story began with several thousand pounds of pork shoulder in Hormel's meat-packing plant, at the time no one knew what to do with all that useful meat. In 1927 one of Hormel's executives had a bright idea of chopping the pork shoulder up, adding some ham and spices then canning it in a clear gelatin casting, so it would keep almost indefinitely. Mahalo nui loi from the bottom of our hearts!

So what is SPAM, we ask? SPAM is ground pork shoulder and ground ham combined with salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite, stuffed into a can, sealed, cooked, dried, dated, labeled, shipped, bought and enjoyed by all the world. You can slice it, dice it, cube it, rip it, toss it, mince it, strip it, grate it, mash it, julienne it, carve it, whip it, smear it, blend it, squash it, fry it, bake it, grill it, soup it, crepe it, roast it, boil it, warm it, gumbo it, steam it, fondue it, croquette it, barbecue it, fritter it, glaze it, sear it, toast it, kabob it, braise it, pressure-cook it, stir-fry it, brochette it, quiche it, poach it, broil it, or eat it raw straight from the can, but best of all is Musubi (Sushi Style see picture below). The only SPAM I've never had is freeze-dried, no SPAM in space? Its advantage over ham is that it needs no refrigeration before its opened. It will keep in it's can until the end of time, if not eaten lickety-split. It makes for an ideal provision for emergency meals such as those eaten by inhabitants of bomb shelters who find themselves stuck underground for decades after a nuclear holocaust. I keep a can of SPAM in our car's glove box for emergencies, also comes in handy for payment to window washers at stop lights. “No cash man, but I've got a can of SPAM” Oooh righhht dude, you speak-a my language!!

When Spam was introduced by the Geo. A. Hormel Company in 1937, as “the Miracle Meat” ham was being touted as health food. ''It plays a large part in the transformation of food into physical strength by gently exciting a sufficient flow of the digestive juices,” explained the Armour Meat Company (Hormel's rival) in a booklet extolling “The Ham What Am.”

So how did it get the wonderful name “SPAM”? SPAM as it is known now was first called Hormel's Spiced Ham, other meat packing plants quickly tried to imitate Hormel's new product. Responding quickly to the threat, Hormel offered a $100 prize to any one who could come up with a name that would make their product stand out. The name SPAM was originated by a brother of an executive of Hormel, his suggestion of SPAM the HAM that is SPICED thus SP from spice and AM from ham make SPAM.

After sixty years Hormel has grown with the ages. Hormel, which got a leg up on the competition by inventing the first canned ham in the twenties. SPAM has been said to taste as good as or better than ham, cheaper, and it's much more efficient and convenient than a twenty-pound Smithfield.

Modern SPAM comes smoke-flavored the first variations in 1970, low-salt SPAM In the early 1990s, traditional SPAM, or with pasteurized processed American cheese chunk implants, American's love implants why not in our food. The cans and flavors of SPAM my change with time but SPAM original will always be the favored world wide.

By 1959, a billion cans had been sold. To celebrate its product's fiftieth anniversary in 1987, Hormel released these interesting facts: If all the cans of SPAM ever eaten were put end-to-end, they would circle the globe at least ten times (this fact is over ten years old now). “In the USA alone, 4.6 cans are consumed every second” (assuming SPAM is eaten round the clock, 365 days a year).

An early magazine advertisement: The man of the house wakes up. wondering, “What's that sizzling sound I hear?” “Get up! It's SPAM and eggs, my dear!” answers his cheerful wife. She shares a secret with her girlfriend: “Here's a lunch that's good and quick. . . Hot cheese SPAMWICH does the trick!” At dinnertime she wonders, “What can I cook without much fuss?” “SPAM bake would tickle all of us!” her family answers.

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia (where the fried balogna sandwich is the state dish) eats a sandwich of SPAM and mayonnaise on white bread three times a week. Nowhere on earth is SPAM more exalted than in Korea, where it is sold in stylish presentation gift boxes (nine cans to the box), and where there is a booming black market in SPAM. In 1989 the Wall Street Journal reported that Koreans love to fry it with kimchi, their traditional pickled cabbage; they roll it with vinegared rice and seaweed to create elegant Spam sushi rolls known as kimpap (almost like Hawaiian's Musubi); and when they cannot get their hands on a prized can of the real thing, they eat the locally concocted imitation of SPAM, which goes by the brand name of Lo-Spam. Next to spit-roasted dog meat, SPAM is just about Korea's favorite delicacy.
I my self have eaten more than a dozen 12 oz. cans of SPAM but have never tried spit-roasted dog, well I'm am only a Kauai, Hawaiian born haole male, so I guess I'm not that adventurous. I will say SPAM is like a canned luau, the true smell and taste of Aloha.

One the bottom of this page I have some great links to some very cool sites some are SPAM site, Monty Python/SPAM site, haters of spam (eMail that is) and one to my site ModernSurf.com. Take a look, I know you will enjoy! This picture is from Far Side, I love this one, so I colored it. Click to see!

**NEW** SPAM site e-Cards, Send one today!! Send an Internet Greeting Card Enter Card ID Number to Pickup Your Greeting Card After a few dozen emails asking me when spam e-Cards would be added to this site, I went right to work. Here they are, and they look splendid. I love the idea and will be adding a new card weekly, stop back soon. Click here or the e-Card pictures to see the first set of six beautiful e-Cards to mail. Now you can help spread the spam. See the new e-Cards