For our second installment of Throw Back Thursday – SPAM!
Originally created by Jay Hormel in the 1920s, Spam hit the grocery shelves in 1937 as the great depression drew to a close and inexpensive meat products were needed. It was used during WWII since it had a long shelf life and could be shipped all over the world.
The ingredients were considered a “mystery”, but it’s simply pork, a little ham, salt, water, sugar, potato starch and sodium nitrate. The ingredients are actually more whole food than bologna! SPAM stands for SPiced hAM.
This canned meat gained popularity in Hawaii during WWII. Internment of Japanese citizens in Hawaii was extremely difficult so sanctions were place on deep sea fishing (run by Japanese-Americans), leaving the residents with no fish and only canned meat alternatives – Spam and sardines.
The rise in popularity of processed foods in the 1950s put Spam on every shelf. Quality was traded out for convenience. By the 1960s Spam had become a cultural sensation in Hawaii and other parts of the Asian Pacific. Now you can get it in a variety of flavors.
Here is one of the Spam dishes that was popular in the mid-century U.S. and we found it to be quite tasty!
Here’s How to Do it:
First, open the can
and dump out the meat. See, it’s not that bad!
Now, cut it into strips about the size of shoe string potatoes. Regular Spam is salty so I recommend you use the low sodium version for these.
While you are cutting the spam, heat the oil to about 350° . Next, gently lay the strips in the oil and cook until they are brown and crisp.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with parmesan immediately after removing from the oil.
Serve with ranch for dipping and enjoy!
© Copyright 2021 The Lazy Gastronome
Super easy snack or appetizer using a classing canned meat.
- 1 can Reduced Sodium Spam
- 3-4 Tablespoons canned parmesan cheese
- Grapeseed oil for frying
- Ranch Dressing for dipping
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First, open the can and dump out the meat. See, it's not that bad!
-
Now, cut it into strips about the size of shoe string potatoes. Regular Spam is salty. I recommend you use the low sodium version for these.
-
Heat the oil to about 350° and gently lay the strips in the oil. Cook until they are brown and crisp.
-
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with parmesan immediately after removing from the oil.
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Serve with ranch for dipping and enjoy!
© Copyright 2021 The Lazy Gastronome
Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!
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