McLEAN COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY NEWS
By Euleen Rickard
SPAM, one word, two meanings. Nowadays when the word Spam is spoken or written it usually refers to the enormous amount of junk email that some one has said “is a necessary evil of life in the Internet age.” Yet, for years a Hormel Foods product Spam, the “luncheon meat in a can” was the only Spam in our vocabulary and that Spam has historical significance.
Spam luncheon meat is made of a combination of pork shoulder, ham, salt, water sugar, and “secret” spices. In 1935 there was a contest for naming the new meat and Kenneth Daigneau put the words spice and ham together coming up with the word Spam. Spam was perfected by Jay Hormel a son of the founder of the Hormel Food Company of Austin, Minnesota. He was a World War I veteran and may have been looking for a way to provide soldiers with better tasting rations, as it became a staple for American soldiers of World War II and the Korean War as well as Russian soldiers in World War II.
Those yellow and blue cans of Spam were one of the first convenient foods and there was a love or hate attitude toward it. Hormel sent so much of it to the troops in World War II that General Eisenhower wrote the foods company, “I believe I can officially forgive you your only sin; sending so much of it.” The English and Russians lauded its benefits, Nikita Kruschew wrote “Without Spam we wouldn’t have been able to feed our army” and later Margaret Thatcher referred to it as “a wartime delicacy.”
World War II aircraft were decorated with “Slamming Spammy” a bomb-throwing pig and George Burns and Gracie Allen on their radio show attested to its goodness served with pancakes. Gracie said,” Hollywood goes for this breakfast in a big way. So will you. Quickly brown several thick slices of SPAM in a hot frying pan. Serve with pancakes or waffles. Keep SPAM on hand- in the 12 oz. cans that need no refrigeration.”
A recipe taken from the side of a can during World War II days follows: BAKED SPAM: Place one 12 oz. can of Spam in a shallow baking dish, score top and bake in moderate oven 10 minutes. Mix to a smooth paste 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard, ˝ teaspoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon water. Pour over Spam and bake 15 minutes longer. This recipe was served to guests as well as home folks during those days of rationing.
Spam is sold in more than a hundred countries. It is popular in South Korea and in the Pacific Islands. Hawaii consumes more Spam than any other state, about six cans a year for every citizen. In Hawaii, McDonald’s and other restaurants serve it for breakfast.
According to the SPAM web site thousands of poems and limericks have been written about SPAM and there are hundreds of recipes, even a recipe book for sale. The company sponsors Cookoffs at state fairs, the latest winning recipe is Curried Rice and Spam.
There are SPAM-mobiles, vehicles shaped like SPAM cans and SPAM related clothing, windsocks, and other items are sold in the store of the SPAM museum. The museum has a wood carving of a can of Spam done by a World War II veteran while he was in a Nazi prisoner of war camp. Do you have a SPAM related story or a recipe for Spam? If so send it or bring it to the museum any Monday afternoon between one and three o’clock.