I was introduced to that older description by my father. The SPAM he referred to was a canned meat product introduced by the Hormel Company in 1937 and popularized during World War II. My dad was a navy man and claimed that most of the C-rations or emergency food packs on the ship were missing the canned meat that was supposed to be in them. He claimed it was popular to remove and eat it, even if there was no emergency at the time. It later became a staple in our house while I was growing up.
My dad would take two pieces of white bread, slather it with butter, put SPAM on it with a little mustard and eat away. This became a go to meal if mom wasn't home or he had to entertain my brothers and I during meal time. Although I wouldn't put the amount of butter on it as Dad, this is still the way I prefer my SPAM. I always believed this shelf stable canned meat could be used for more than just a plain sandwich. So I spent a couple of weeks (not necessarily with the support of my family) exploring the possibilities. The first thing I made was a SPAM muffin. An English muffin with fried spam, egg and cheese. Next I made a SPAM hash with fried potatoes an onions. Yes SPAM can be great for breakfast. For lunch and dinner I made SPAM Tacos, SPAM Reuben sandwiches, Chicken fried SPAM, SPAM and Swiss on Rye and even SPAM Fried Rice. I was surprised with the chicken fried spam and the spam fried rice. Both of these were very tasty.
Of course I have many more ideas on how to use SPAM (spiced ham) but I am going to give the family a little break. But I am wondering, does the modern definition of SPAM describe the rantings and pictures of this Blog? Well at least I'm not selling anything! Unless …. ?
I like to slice it thin, fry it good and brown and make a sandwich with mustard and onion or else as a side with eggs and fried potatoes. I'm going to try making some Spamburgers on the grill.
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