Before I keep going any further, I should probably address
the few people reading this that are already getting grossed out by just the
mere mention of Spam. There’s an
aversion to tinned meat these days (which I definitely understand) and also
there’s the labeling of Spam as “mystery meat” (I totally understand that
too). I can’t argue around the weirdness
of canned meat (it’s really just salted to death and then pressure canned), but
I can address the “mystery meat” label.
In reading the ingredients on the can, it’s a much shorter and benign
list of stuff than in many other meats but other food items as well. Have you ever had a hot dog? How about bologna? Heck, how about a can of chicken noodle
soup? Yep, you’ve eaten something with
twice as many strange sounding ingredients as Spam. It’s really not that bad people.
Now that I’ve touched on that topic, let’s move on to how I
prepared my Spam. First though, this
point of reference may be helpful –
While it wasn’t exactly a dish at the diner in Monty Pyton’s
sketch*, I was at least inspired to make “Spam, Spam, Spam, Baked Beans, Eggs,
and Spam.” Of course I had a side of
toast too (I mean really, any British breakfast comes with a side of toast…)** Making 1/4 inch slices off the loaf of Spam,
I fried them in a pan on medium-high heat, essentially making a nice crust on
each side. When those were finished, I
quickly made some scrambled eggs, heated the baked beans*** in the microwave,
and made some toast. Putting it
altogether makes quite a nice British fry-up breakfast.
Yes, yes. You’re
probably asking “But how did the Spam taste?”
To be honest – wonderful. I haven’t
had Spam any other way yet, but frying it up has to be the best preparation for
it. It browns up perfectly, getting a
nice light crust on the outside (probably due to the fatty aspic) while the
inside almost borders on creamy (probably due to the really fine chop during
processing). I can’t lie – as far as a
breakfast meat, fried Spam is right up there with bacon for me. Depending on the bacon, it might actually
beat it.
It’s super salted canned meat. Of course I chose the low sodium variety –
and I would too if I were you.
Mmm, processed
ham chunk. Having seen loaves of processed
ham at deli counters growing up, this just seems normal to me. My wife though, not being a huge meat lover,
is grossed out by this. I can’t win with
the “it’s no worse than a hot dog” argument either as she eats veggie dogs.
The finished
product. Yeah… that was a lot of food
and a lot of Spam the first time. I only
did three slices the second time…
*Spam of course was so
ubiquitous in rations during WWII that people got quite tired of it. It wasn’t
just in the rations of American GIs but also in American provided rations for
peoples in the war touched areas of the Pacific and in England as well. While some Pacific peoples embraced it (like
those in Hawaii), the English grew quite tired of it showing up everywhere –
thus the inspiration for Monty Python’s sketch.
The sketch – and the notion of being inundated with an unwanted item –
is where the electronic usage of the word Spam originates.
**Seriously, go
anywhere in the UK (and also Ireland) and you ALWAYS get toast for breakfast. No matter what you’re having, you’ll be
brought halved toast served in a little stand.
***To be authentically
British, you should have Heinz baked beans or at least some other brand of baked
beans that are canned in a tomato sauce.
I have a strong aversion to the “canned tomato soup” taste, so I opt for
the more traditional American Boston baked bean style with molasses and pork
bits.
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