Spam is a brand of canned cooked meat made from pork and processed ham. It is usually made readily mixed with preservatives and seasoning agents like salt, sodium nitrite, and starch before sealing it in a can.
The canned pork gained its popularity worldwide after its use in the second world war where it was cheap and convenient to feed soldiers overseas.
Spam can be found in food stores around the world. Its versatility of usage, ease of preparation, long-lasting shelf life, and convenience of consumption has made It every household’s easy-to-use meat. There is so much to be said about this multi-purpose meat.
What does spam taste like? Spam tastes like a salted ham lunch meat with a variety of spices, pepper, cheese, curry, and other flavor-enhancing ingredients. Spam has a moist and spongy texture like that of a sausage patty. Spam is salty meat and is best eaten with foods that need extra seasoning.
Spam tends to offer a slightly distinct taste depending on how you prepare and eat it. The meat is reasonably cheap, so your best choice will be to try it out in your recipes.
Get a can of spam meat today and try it in with cooking.
Nutritional Benefit of Spam
Spam doesn’t contain a lot of chemical properties. That’s surprising as it is canned processed food, right? Spam is high in protein, sodium, carbohydrates, fat, calories, and micronutrients such as zinc, potassium, iron, and copper. Spam is also a good source of vitamin B, magnesium, folate, and calcium.
Vitamin B in spam helps boost the human brain and nervous system by converting food into energy, repairing DNA, and producing healthy hormones. Spam is preserved by using sodium nitrate. Besides the preservative ability of sodium nitrate, it helps combat stubborn bacteria in the stomach like clostridium botulinum bacteria which is responsible for botulism.
As we grow older, our muscles become weaker and can lead to the body getting disabled, at this stage injuries can develop faster. Pork meat combined with regular body exercise help improve human muscle mass. Also, spam meat improves cell growth and its proper functioning.
Spam shouldn’t be consumed excessively like other meats because it contains a huge amount of salt, fat, and calories that can prove to be detrimental to one’s health. Eat and add spam to your recipe moderately.
Culinary Uses of Spam
Spam is a variety of meat that is very convenient to prepare. It can be eaten directly from the can or fried before you add it to your food. Spam is not only a convenient and versatile meat option but also a perfect substitute for beef. There are various ways you can cook with this budget-friendly pantry staple.
Replace your usual beef with spam when preparing fried rice. With your knife, dice spam into small-sized bits and pour into the frying pan filled with hot oil before adding the rest of the fried rice ingredients. You should remember that spam has high salt content, so season your fried rice minimally to get a satisfying taste.
Make your breakfast worthwhile and enjoyable by garnishing your food with spam. Spam can give your breakfast sandwich a more meaty experience and taste. Spam would taste great with bacon. Try mixing your bacon, egg, cheese, and add fried spam to the stack instead of your normal beef.
Your plate of brussels sprouts can be given a meaty taste when you add chopped bits of fried spam in it.
Where Did Spam Originate From? How Do You Procure It?
Spam was the invention of Jay Hormel, the son of the founder of the Hormel company. They were the pioneers of canned pork products in the late 1920s. Spam started getting recognized after an increasing demand by housewives who wanted a cheap, quick meal that requires almost no preparation, and didn’t need to be refrigerated.
It didn’t take long before the US military knew how useful this food innovation was during the second world war. Recently, spam has been sold and trademarked in over 41 countries on six continents. Spam is usually preserved, packed, and sealed airtight in a can. You can purchase cans of Spam from the nearest supermarket or retail store to you.
Make sure the can is not opened before purchasing. All you have to do after getting spam is pour in a plate, then steam, or fry to your satisfaction to use in your recipes. You can freeze the remaining spam to use later.
Facts You Didn’t Know about Spam
- Spam is often called mystery meat as the origin of the acronym is unknown to many. Some believe it was gotten from the mash-up of words like ‘spiced ham’ or ‘shoulders of pork and ham’, while others believe it could stand for ‘specially processed artificial meat’
- Hormel company, the pioneer of canned meat produces 44,000 cans of spam every hour.
- Hawaii has the largest market of spam in the world. They alone consume approximately 7 million cans of spam annually.
- During the second world war, nearly 100 million pounds of spam were consumed by the allied forces of the United States. This was because it didn’t need refrigeration and is protein-packed.