Love it or hate it, Spam, canned pork and ham, has become one of Britain’s most recognisable foods. At least there was a time when it was recognisable. Today when Spam gets a mention, it is often more to do with spam emails or online scammers than food.
Introduced in the 1930s, it gained enormous popularity during rationing in wartime because it was readily and widely available. By the 1970s it remained a cupboard staple in many homes. That was certainly the case in my home.
And it was cheap, around fifteen to twenty pence a can.
Is it still popular? I must admit, I haven’t eaten it in years. In fact, I wondered if it was still available. You don’t hear spam mentioned much these days as a desirable meal or part of the weekly shop. And I don’t remember seeing it on the shelves at the supermarket.
So, I had to check.
Of course, it is available, and it still comes in a tin can. An odd-shaped tin can. It was also a can that used to come with, if memory serves me, its own little key that you would use to wind the lid off (or maybe that was corned beef in a can?). That could be tricky if you got it wrong.
There was then the challenge of getting the meat out of the tin. Often, it didn’t move, and I would end up slapping the bottom of the tin. There was an art to doing it right that my mother seemed to know.
In fact, today, it is available in many varieties — lite, less sodium, maple, bacon and turkey, as well as more exotic hot and spicy jalapeño and teriyaki. There are others. Some reflect its popularity around the world. The classic remains, which is the only one I remember from the 1970s. I don’t recall this level of choice back then.
And I couldn’t help but notice that today, it is not so cheap, around £2.50 to £3.00 a tin.
Back in the 1970s, alongside luncheon meat, Spam was a cheap food essential for kids. Spam sandwiches appeared in school lunchboxes across Britain. School dinners were not always an affordable option for me, and I can remember going home for sandwiches at lunchtime. Alongside cheese, there was always spam or luncheon meat in the fridge.
There was no secret to making a spam sandwich — well, not in our house. Thick slices of the tinned meat — you cut your own — were often served cold with margarine and tomato sauce. If you were feeling adventurous, brown sauce might be chosen, and if your family had money, butter, and pickles might be on the menu. All on white bread. I don’t remember brown and wholemeal bread ever being an option, although it was probably available.
Then there were Spam fritters. These were a treat. A slice of Spam was coated in batter and deep-fried until golden before being served with chips and beans, occasionally tomatoes and peas. They could also be bought from the local chippy (fish and chip shop), especially at the weekend. Or, if you were on the road, a café might serve them up.
I also discovered that spam fritters are widely available today.
Spam was not necessarily the most healthy meal option, but it was filling, and the spam fritters, when cooked right, were a taste of heaven. For a growing boy in the 1970s, they were cheap, cheerful, and, as my mother would remind me, “filled a hole” until dinnertime later.
Back in the 1960s and '70s, Spam was so popular that Monty Python wrote a sketch about it with the song "Spam, Spam, Spam". Everything could be served with spam. It became a running joke and eventually made an appearance on Broadway as Monty Python’s Spamalot.
Today, Spam still has a loyal following, proving that some foods never really disappear or totally go out of fashion. In South Korea it is very popular. And Hawaii.
Maybe I will turn the clock back and try the spam fritter again.
Photo by Hannes Johnson on Unsplash
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