The last time I ate Spam (and it has only been once until today) it was not a memorable experience. Infact I seen to remember I wretched as it slithered out of the can..
All that changes when you are HUNGRY and when your food choices are limited so for the sake of authenticity I decided to open the can of SPAM in the cupboard (which I bought 6 weeks ago) and cook with it as any good housewife would have done in the 1940′s.
Would SPAM still be ikky? Could I physically eat the stuff given my inaugural exeperience? And what about the ethics?
Would SPAM still be ikky…?
Putting all this stuff aside the can of Spam was tentatively opened and true to previous form slithered out of the can and I cut two slices from the block of processed luncheon meat with its jiggly, jelly coating. Into a pan I placed a little butter and heated until hot, sprinkled the spam slices with a little thyme and pepper and placed into the pan and slowly browned the slices, turning once, over medium heat.
Once cooked they actually looked OK!
An even bigger surprise when I tasted the offensive article…it actually tasted pretty good! It was quite salty but quite yummy and an ideal accompaniment for a plate of rather bland cauliflower and potatoes.
Now I can see how the 1940′s housewife sang it’s praises…
SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM everybody loves SPAM!
My parents were refugee kids from WWII and spam was one of the staples around our house when I was a kid. I remember eating spam hash (spam chopped into cubes fried up with potatoes, onions, and peppers) Spam on rice, and spam burgers. I lived in Korea where it is often rolled up as a kind of sushi roll (called Kimbap) and you can buy it in beautiful gift boxes to give as hostess gifts there. Not the healthiest thing in the world considering its fat and salt content, but a fun addition to otherwise fat free meals.
Gosh yes it seems like spam and corned beef were very popular during WWII so it makes me wonder where Spam got it’s bad press from…maybe people just got sick of the stuff?
Mmmm- the hash sounds nice!
Yes it is very salty and although I don’t normally count calories I did take a look on the tin and can see that it’s calorific value was nearly 1200 calories a tin! It did me for dinner yesterday, lunch today and I’ll make a main dish from it tomorrow.
Interesting about being served like a sushi roll in Korea and given as hostess gifts!!!
Thanks for sharing those facts!!!
C xx
I tried Spam because of this website and I also cooked it in the frying pan. I had bought the one with less fat and a couple of slices of it with some eggs did work for my dinner. I was surprised that the taste, a little more salty than I’m used to, wasn’t bad at all. It won’t become a constant in the meal time rotation but I’ll have it in the pantry for a bit of a change, especially in the winter. It just seems to be a winter food to me.
Thanks for getting me to try something different!
My grandmother always had spam on hand and it was a regular lunch article in the years she babysat me. Its just fine in a sandwich with a little mustard. Never tried it heated in any way. If you are doing 1940s you might want to try corned beef too.
My mother made a delicious sandwich filling with Spam. She boiled a couple eggs and chopped them together with the Spam. Then she added some pickle relish, finely chopped celery, a little yellow mustard, and mayonnaise. I’ve had it on whole wheat bread and white bread, and the flavor is compatible with both. In fact, I think I will make this filling for a tea that my DAR group is hosting for lady veterans at the local veterans’ home in November.
Hey thanks for this Kathy!! That sounds very nice- infact I was surprised how nice Spam actually tasted and how versatile it was… especially when only eating 100% rations… I bet people during the war loved using spam..(never thought I’d hear myself say that about the stuff!!!)
C xx
Spam grated (from the fridge) goes very nicely in place of ham on a pizza.
My kids favourite is spam, cheese and pineapple on a tomato base. Yum.
I also have dabbled in 1940′s and prior retro- recipes to save money and perhaps drop a few pounds, and have developed a profound appreciation for the cuisine.Prior to recently I have not used Spam since the 1960′s, but there is one recipe that i really like. That is dice spam, add pineapples, water chestnuts and soy sauce and serve over rice.
I have also tried some pre World War I cooking. This style is characterized by a big breakfast and lunch, supper is usually a dessert.
Keep up the good work.
I am of the older group, and remember span during the war years…It was used almost on a daily bases in one form or another..I grew to hate it
But over the years I have found it to be a staple to use and has always been in my pantry…..I have even used it in stir fry and My grand kids and great grandkids love it.. Now days when everyone is on s diet it seems to have lost it appeal…..
But to be quite frank its not as bad as people say for diets…you can kill the fat and salt content by marinating in many diffrent forms….I know because I do Thank you for giving this little ole lady a look at my past…
I’ve stumbled across your blog while doing research on wartime rationed food so I could make more economical and just as nutritious meals for my family. I stumbled across a spam recipe called “Baked Spam”. Take one can of spam, put it in greased baking pan. Score the top like you would a regular ham. Sprinkle on ground cloves. Bake at 350 degrees F. Make a sauce from a tablespoon of prepared mustard, vinegar. a little water and a bit of sugar if desired. Baste baking spam with sauce. Bake another 15 minutes, basting with sauce every 5 minutes during baking time. I baste it again after I take it out of the oven. I serve it with pan-fried potatoes and onions and any veggie I happen to have on hand. It got high praise from my husband and my two picky eaters. It’s awesome, give it a try.
I have baked it using a brown sugar glaze and some pineapple……either crushed or rings. Very similar to a baked ham.
y
You could attempt to learn how to spell before going online : when food makes you feel ill you tend to want to retch , not wretch, though you are very possibly a wretched person when all is said and done. The Oxford Dictionary is a worthwhile purchase for people like yourself who obviously have no idea about your own language.
Thank you Brian. I will, of course, rush out during my lunch break today to purchase the dictionary… (ermmm). Thank you for saving me…
Shut up Walton, spill your bitter juice elsewhere. What a sad individual one must be to feel the need to write a whole nasty paragraph about a spelling error.
(keep up the good work Carolyn)
Thank you Nina xxxx
Yea Brian all you have done so far is provide negative comments. Roll another one and melt away, off into your own self important world greatness.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone needs to get a life.
as i go camping loads, Spam is a family favourite, fried, in fajitas, on cheese crackers, Spamwidches, in pasta, it goes in anything, with anything. the pizza sounds interesting, might try that sometime.
I am looking for the recipe for the spam, with pineapple in tomatoe base over rice
Battered spam fritters!!! Yummeee!
Mum used to dip the spam slices in batter. Just flour and water, or milk and often an egg. Like most folk during the war, we kept chickens in our back garden so eggs weren’t a major problem. Dad used to ‘pickle’ any excess in “isinglass”, whatever that was, in a big galvanised bucket . Vegetable were not a problem either for most folk as the government provided land “allotments”, seed, fertiliser and instructional material!
Battered spam fritters. Sounds interesting. I am not a real big fan of Spam when it is fried but maybe w/ a batter on it ……
isn’t there enough spam!!!!!
super markets sell ready made spam fritters now , just need to fry them ! taste as good as my mum used to make !!
I have not seen spam fritters in any stores in my area. Sounds interesting.
How about Hawaii and it’s favorite – SPAM!
If you haven’t tried Hickory Smoked or Bacon Spam- then you haven’t eaten Spam yet… Love either fried over the campfire when camping!!!
Sounds good. I haven’t seen either one of those.
love this site, now on to the spam..love it use it in a lot of stuff, but because of the saltyness, discovered here in NY they sell turkey spam…..not as salty, less calories, but still just as good…thanks for this site……
I haven’t seen a recipe for Spam & Dumplins, so I think I’ll try it tomorrow.
Should work out ok..
I like Spam slices fried and placed on top of a pan of macaroni & cheese…