Spam - What Is It?

So what exactly is spam?

The name today is commonly associated with unwanted, uninvited viral electronic communications, usually emails.  With the increasing popularity of social media platforms it is now also associated with unwanted, uninvited viral advertising and promotional links.  

The real SPAM though is a relatively harmless manufactured meat product.  The original product was made of chopped pork shoulder meat, ham meat, salt, water, sugar, sodiumnitrite (preservative) and potato starch (binder).  As the meat stock cools it forms the gelatinous glaze or aspic which is characteristic of the product. The name is believed to be derived from 'SPiced hAM' and today is often associated with low socio-economic groups.

I can recall eating spam as a child in the 'wilds' of Papua New Guinea where I spent the first 16 years of my life.  We had it lightly fried like steak, in stews and curries, on sandwiches and so on.  The fact that it came in tins and could be stored for months made it a valuable addition to a lot of pantries, especially when fresh meat was not readily available.

Spam is still popular today in many countries.  China is one of the company's most profitable divisions and it is also becoming increasingly popular throughout the rest of Asia and the Pacific.  In the US, Hawaii has the highest consumption per capita and the local Maccas outlets even have Spam Burgers on the menu.  Because of its popularity there, a variety of Spam products not seen anywhere else are available like Hot and Spicy Spam, Spam with Bacon, Honey Spam etc.

So... how did a popular pantry item wind up as the name of one of the main curses of the modern electronic communications era?

Most likely through a 1970 sketch of the same name performed by the infamous Monty Python where it was the overwhelming, and often unwanted, ingredient in every dish served by the cafe in which the sketch was set.  Overwhelming to the point where the quantity of it smothered just about everything else in the dishes.  Hmmm, sound familiar.......?!