Decades before unwanted emails were labelled as “spam”, countless South Koreans considered the historic tin of processed pork as ‘prosperous’, a food worthy of being the star of any meal, even after post-war poverty.

Decades before unwanted emails were labelled as “spam”, countless South Koreans considered the historic tin of processed pork as ‘prosperous’. A food worthy of being the star of any meal, even after post-war pove

In Europe and the US, instead of ‘junk mail’ we labelled the gelatinous block as ‘junk food’. With its pink tinge and sponge-like texture, Spam has obtained the title of “mystery meat” in the UK since the late 1930s. 

Yet, just across the pond, Spam has become a comfort food and a staple in meals such as ‘goya champuru’ in Japan or ‘Spam musubi’ in Hawaii. 

Most of all, the blue and yellow block is prized in South Korea for its protein content and pleasing saltiness, which pairs perfectly with Korean flavours. In 2019, South Korea’s manufacturer of Spam reported it had sold around 1.2 billion cans – or 24 cans for each person in the country – since the start of production in 1987. 

“My favourite way to eat Spam is to thinly slice it and fry it until it is brown and crispy, it is like bacon but so much better”

– Hyo eun

Shin Hyo Eun, a 51-year-old care home assistant, moved to the UK fifteen years ago from Seoul, Korea and is a self-proclaimed Spam enthusiast. “My favourite way to eat Spam is to thinly slice it and fry it until it is brown and crispy, it is like bacon but so much better”, Hyo Eun says. “You fry eggs in the remaining fat in the pan which gives them such a delicious flavour, and serve it with sticky white rice and kimchi, it is so good.

“I grew up eating Spam, the most common and easiest way to have it is with a fried egg, rice and ketchup – it is nostalgic for sure! I can still remember the taste of sweet ketchup against the texture of the Spam, it should be a weird combination but it works so well.” 

In need of creating affordable meals in the years following the war, South Korea relied on instant noodles, canned goods and culinary inventiveness. This led to the creation of Budae Jiggae – a spicy cauldron filled with war rations such as hot dogs, baked beans, American cheese and of course, Spam. 

Budae Jiggae, ‘Army Stew’

Budae Jiggae fed thousands over the decades, becoming an iconic dish in South Korea and still one of their most popular dishes to this day. With entire restaurants selling only this spicy, salty fricassee. Roughly translated as “army stew”, every sip of this soup is an act of consuming history. Even though the country no longer relies on war rations, everyone still eats it because they enjoy it – just like Spam.

Cho Hyee-Jin, owner of a Korean supermarket in Manchester says, “Budae Jiggae is one of the most staple dishes in Korean culture, it is something for everyone to enjoy, even if you have little money.”

For more than a decade, Spam has been a go-to gift option for the South Korean Lunar Thanksgiving holiday ‘Chuseok’, which in turn has helped nearly 20,000 tons, worth $235 million, of Spam to be sold in 2013, according to the New York Times. 

Hyee-Jin says, “In Korea, supermarkets devote all their best front aisles to displays of Spam, it is not hidden in the back on a dusty shelf like here in the UK.”

You can also get a multitude of flavours like “garlic, spicy or even bacon”, says Hyo Eun. “Over there it is relatively cheap too, a 200 gram can cost about £3.” Out of all the luncheon meats available in Korea, Spam is seen as high-end and the best quality.

Chuseok – roughly translated to – “Autumn eve”, originally celebrated farming culture and was a harvest moon festival. Falling between late September and early October, the ‘Lunar New year’ is a time for visiting family, paying respect to ancestors, playing games and, of course, giving and receiving Spam.

“I sometimes make a joke with my friends saying, if they ever go to Korea, they should pack a whole suitcase of Spam, it would make them a lot of friends!”

– Hyee-jin

“Spam is not given in the original blue and yellow tin in Korea, but in luxury gift boxes with bows”, says Hyee-Jin. “The gift boxes normally come with about nine cans inside, as well as other items like cooking oil.”

She told that some of the larger gift boxes can sell for the equivalent of £75, “I think the gift boxes for Chuseok are the biggest reason why Spam sales are so big in Korea. I sometimes make a joke with my friends saying, if they ever go to Korea, they should pack a whole suitcase of Spam, it would make them a lot of friends!”

SPAM Gift Box in South Korea

According to The Journal of Popular Culture by George H. Lewis, a professor at the University of the Pacific, Spam outranked both KFC and Coca-Cola in status, becoming a present given “on occasions of importance when one wishes to pay special honour and proper respect.”

This leaves Spam as more than a non-perishable war ration – “It’s a feeling”,  says Hyee-Jin. “Anyone who gets a Spam gift set also gets a warm feeling in their heart.” 

The luxury of Spam has cemented itself in Korean society, “It is so iconic there”, says Damon Yung, a 19-year-old British Korean who helps his Father run a Korean snack restaurant in Leeds. Yung has lived in the UK his entire life but has visited Korea to see his family. He tells that he often does not eat Spam – “It is too salty, I prefer the low-sodium option. When I have occasionally eaten Spam my British friends ask me ‘why are you eating that? I swear that is war food?’” 

Although an acquired taste, the meaty chunk evokes nostalgia for Yung, “It reminds me of when my mum would cook for me when I was little, a simple dish my parents would whip up before going to work was sliced Spam, dipped into an egg wash, fried in a pan and served with rice. It was salty and greasy so what kid could resist? Thinking about it does make me smile.” 

Of course, not all memories of Spam leave a gratifying taste, Hyee-Jin also reminisces of her Spam-filled childhood, “When my Mum used to pick me up from school, she would give me cheese and Spam sandwiches, white pillowy bread with plastic cheese slices and a think uncooked slice of Spam. This sandwich I did not like and I never will – there was no texture!”

Spam (for “spiced ham” or “shoulder of pork and ham”) was introduced by the American company Hormel in 1937, during World War 2. Hormel combined salt, sugar, water, sodium nitrate and pork to create a new kind of luncheon meat in hopes to, in their words, “peddle the then-unprofitable pork shoulder.”

“Fresh meat was scarce during the war and Spam served as a very good alternative source of protein”, says Holly Stephens, a lecturer in Korean studies. “As American troops moved to different countries throughout Asia, they brought Spam along with them. It was such a staple food due to it being non-perishable.

“The troops would have introduced it to residents and the soldiers would have even used it as currency. Any supplies that they may have needed would have been traded for Spam with local citizens.”

Unlike Europe, where Spam’s popularity faded after the war, in South Korea it rose to fame. Even as the country thrived – now ranking as the world’s 11th largest economy – they currently consume the largest amount of Spam outside of the US. The whole country having an infinity for the pork and ham brick. 

In a New York Times article, Koo Se-woong, a former lecturer of Korean Studies at Yale University, said that “Spam’s introduction to South Korea through the U.S. military, enjoyed an association with prosperity and nutritiousness during an earlier era.”

Spam’s stardom is not just limited to Korea. In Hawaii, 1.5 million people are thought to consume a whopping seven million cans a year, used in famous dishes like musubi. Stephens says, “The food rationing during wartime paired with Hawaiis’ geographic isolation from the US mainland, would have not only put pressure on Hawaiians to hoard Spam, but to also view it as a precious source of nourishment.”

Similarly in the Philippines – a former US colony – World War 2 rationing eventually led to Spam becoming an important cultural symbol, with Spamsilog being a breakfast favourite in many Filipino households.

So maybe you’ve been a diehard Spam fan your entire life, or maybe you decided to try it when money was low. Either way, if you have a few cans of the supposed “mystery meat” stocked in your cupboard, you shouldn’t feel shy about putting them to use. The reality is, Spam isn’t a mystery at all — it’s simply ground pork and processed ham mixed with salt, sugar and preservatives, cooked up and sold in shelf-stable cans.

So while Spam might be an unhealthy and mysterious chunk of luncheon meat to some, to others it is a showcase of culinary innovation and an icon in South Korea. It can also, granted if you cook it right, be delicious. In its most awesome form with sticky white rice and a gooey fried egg. Just don’t try and eat it raw from the can like this guy.