The History of SPAM: What’s in It and Where It Comes From

This clever portmanteau was reportedly devised by Ken Daigneau, a Hormel Foods employee who won a company-wide contest to name the new product.

The name’s simplicity, catchiness, and memorability helped cement its identity and contributed to its enduring legacy.

Ingredients and Manufacturing Process
SPAM’s ingredients are straightforward: pork, water, salt, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrate. The inclusion of sodium nitrate serves as a preservative, ensuring safety and longevity, while potato starch helps to bind the meat and maintain texture.

The production process begins with grinding the pork and combining it with the other ingredients in precise proportions. The mixture is then vacuum-sealed into cans, which are cooked and cooled to develop SPAM’s distinctive flavor and firm, yet tender texture.