According to How Products are Made , a machine scoops up the raw Spam and pushes it into the can from the bottom. It's sealed, stamped, and sent on its way. Clearly, they're not raw when you get them, so what gives? According to Wired , vacuum-sealing the raw pork product first and cooking it in the cans is what gives Spam that super-long shelf life and makes it pretty much perfect for keeping on the shelf until you get that once-every-few-years craving.
Or, you know, until the world ends and civilization as we know it crumbles around us. And it took a long time to get that canning process right. Before Hormel's extensive experimentation, canned meat would end up as dry inside but still surrounded in water.
Hormel figured out not just the canning process, says How Stuff Works , but also the right amount of salt and the right temperature to cook at. After the cans of Spam are, well, canned, their next stop is a massive hydrostatic cooker.
The scale is crazy: the machine is a full six stories tall, says How Products are Made , and it's full of very, very hot water. The cans of raw Spam approach on a conveyor, and are pushed onto a shelf 24 at a time.
That shelf moves the cans through a series of chambers within the cooker, where they're cooked, and sterilized, then washed, and finally cooled. There are 11 chambers, and by the time cans complete their journey from beginning to end they're almost ready to be sent on their way. Not only is it a huge machine, but it's fast, too: 33, cans an hour can be processed through the cooker. That seems like a crazy amount, but it's keeping up with an almost insane amount of Spam sold.
According to LiveScience , Hormel tries to keep up with an estimated three cans sold every second. After that, they're labeled, boxed, and shipped to a grocery store near you. Everyone's familiar with those distinctive blue and yellow cans, right?
Absolutely, and that's what makes it so surprising that there's an extra step that goes into the making of Spam in South Korea: it's often packaged up as part of a gift set. It was a list that includes things like rare tea, imported wines , fine cuts of beef They even quoted a saleswoman at a high-end department store in Seoul who described it this way: "Here, Spam is a classy gift you can give to people you care about during the holiday.
How did this happen? Spam went to Korea with American troops during the Korean War , and at the time, the only way to get meat was through American Army post exchange stores. It was something that became associated with the wealthy that could afford it, and it's remained that way. Budaejigae, or military stew, is a hugely popular dish that's part Spam, part kimchi.
In , the local Spam producer put 1. It also gives meat products their pinkish or reddish tints. Without sodium nitrite, meats would soon turn a gray color and be decidedly less appealing.
Spam was invented in by Jay Hormel, who was looking for a way to sell the underused shoulder portions of hogs.
But the product was first just one of many spiced ham products on the market. When Hormel's product started losing market share to other meatpackers, he decided to distinguish his brand. An actor named Kenneth Daigneau coined the name and won the prize, according to Hormel Foods Corporation.
What Hormel's website won't tell you is that Daigneau was the brother of R. By , 40 million cans of Spam had been sold. Hormel supplied Allied troops with 15 million cans of Spam per week throughout the war. After the war, Hormel actively advertised the product, getting big names to sing its praises. Plants overseas also began producing Spam.
By , Hormel had manufactured its billionth can. By , the oz g can was joined by a 7-oz g can for single people and small families. Other innovations included Spam with cheese chunks and smoke-flavored product and Spam-Lite A major re-design of the label occurred in , and both the old and new version entered the Smithsonian. The primary ingredient in Spam is chopped pork shoulder meat mixed with ham. This ratio varies according to ham and pork prices. The U. Department of Agriculture does not permit any nonmeat fillers in lunchmeat, nor does it allow pig snouts, lips, or ears.
The second ingredient is salt, added for flavor and for use as a preservative. Also, a small amount of water is used to bind all ingredients together. Sugar is also included for flavor. Finally, sodium nitrate is added to prevent botulism and acts as a preservative as well. It is the sodium nitrite that gives Spam its bright pink color—without it, Spam would discolor and become brown. Hormel would likely agree that Spam begins with quality pork and ham.
Hornel no longer supplies its own meat for Spam, but the company chooses the meat carefully. Meat-cutters who cut the meat from the ham carefully perform their tasks and throw the pieces into the appropriate gondola. Also, the huge hydrostatic cooker has an alarm that trips if the computer detects there is any problem with the batch. Spam is high in sodium, which may be an issue for people with a sensitivity to salt and for those with high blood pressure. High sodium intake may also be linked to a higher risk of stomach cancer.
Spam is very high in fat, with about 15 grams in a single two-ounce gram serving 1. Fat is significantly higher in calories than protein or carbs, with each gram of fat containing about nine calories Compared to other sources of protein like meat, poultry, fish or legumes, Spam is significantly higher in fat and calories but offers little else in terms of nutrition. For example, gram-for-gram, Spam contains 7. Frequently indulging in high-fat foods like Spam without making adjustments to other parts of your diet could potentially increase your overall calorie intake and contribute to weight gain in the long run.
Compared to other protein sources, Spam is high in fat and calories but low in protein. Frequently eating Spam without adjusting your diet and calorie intake could cause weight gain.
Because Spam is already cooked, it can be eaten straight from the can and requires minimal preparation prior to eating. Some of the most popular ways to enjoy Spam include adding it to sliders, sandwiches, pasta dishes and rice. Instead, opt for healthier protein foods like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products and legumes as part of a nutritious and balanced diet.
Eating processed meat is linked to increased risk of several diseases, including cancer. This article explores the health effects of processed meat. People often see nitrates and nitrites as harmful, but this may not always be true. Vegetables, for example, can be rich in nitrates. Processed foods are convenient and can even be good for you.
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