SPAM Recipes – Hawaii's Favorite "Meat"

As an avid viewer of Bizarre Foods in any variety I’m always waiting to see what strange thing Adam Zimmern will eat that will finally turn his stomach. There aren’t very many things that will. There’s the ever famous durian fruit, rotten meat mixed with scrambled eggs he had in the Middle East, and to my utter surprise – SPAM! On Bizarre Foods America the other night he was sampling the wares of food trucks in Washington, DC and came upon one who’s specialty it was to make SPAM sushi rolls – complete with sticky rice and nori. His reaction was not complete aversion but I think contempt summed up the emotion evoked. Enjoying a good fried SPAM sandwich is not exactly my idea of a fantastic lunch, but I have been known to choke it down without complaint.

If you are a devotee of the pressed, canned, salty meat then this article is for you –

image source: myrecipes.com

image source: myrecipes.com

If you think we’re here to hate on Spam, you’re wrong, at least in a historical context. We love the theory behind Spam. Created (and we do mean “created”– Spam does not, in fact, grow on trees) in the 1930s, Spam was big during World War II for obvious reasons. Food shortages weren’t uncommon. Items that didn’t spoil were heavily sought after. Soldiers needed shelf-stable goods and, as a bonus, Spam’s packaging allowed it to be packed easily and shipped in large quantities. By definition we have no problem with Spam. Sold in over 40 countries around the world, it’s arguably pretty darn popular. However, it is also, arguably, jellified meat, to use my newly created technical term. Here’s the catch. You, dear users, appear to like it. Of the recipes calling for Spam on MyRecipes.com, 80% are community recipes, meaning that you liked them so much that you typed them up and added them to our recipe file. Loud and proud you say, “I like Spam!” in your potato salad , in your fries , and even in your sushi . (Psst! We agree with you there. Yea, Spam Sushi! ) We aren’t here to hate! We have our own love for Spam, especially in this delicious burger: hawaiian-burger-su-x   Hawaiian Pig-Out Burger Spam may be one of the only ingredients that you can eat straight from the can at room temperature, chilled, grilled, baked, or fried. And for that, we love it, even if it does make a “slooshing” noise as it slides from its tin home. What recipes do you want to learn about? Come back each Thursday as we revisit the classics in our recipe collection!

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