We know what you’re thinking; SPAM® products must grow on trees there. That would be neat, but to believe it you must have taken a coconut to the head.
The true root of the island’s love for SPAM® products goes back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. By the end of the war, SPAM® products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM® Classic and rice becoming a popular meal. The unique flavor quickly found its way into other Hawaiian cuisine, from SPAM® Fried Wontons to SPAM® Musubi, and SPAM® products became a fixture for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today you’ll find SPAM® dishes served everywhere from convenience stores to restaurants, reflecting a demand that is unmatched by any place in the world.
It may come as a pleasant surprise to learn that SPAM is not the preservative-packed mystery meat you might think it is. In fact, SPAM only contains six ingredients! And the brand's website lists them all. They are: pork with ham meat added (that counts as one), salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite.
® products goes back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. By the end of the war, SPAM® products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM® Classic and rice becoming a popular meal.
Spam hit shelves in the mainland U.S. in 1937 during the Great Depression as an inexpensive meat product. It didn't make its way across the Pacific to Hawaii until World War II, when Pearl Harbor became a critical U.S. naval base and military personnel brought the canned luncheon food with them.
In Hawaii, Spam is so popular that it is sometimes referred to as "The Hawaiian Steak". There is even an annual Spam-themed festival on the island of Oahu each spring, known as the "Waikiki Spam Jam".
Hawai'i residents eat 7 million cans of Spam per year, making it the state with the highest number of consumers per capita in the nation, according to Spam's numbers. That's five cans per person a year, but experts warn that overconsumption could have negative health consequences.
Spam is considered a staple rather than a delicacy. Most Island households have a few cans as back-up food during hurricane season just in case the electrical grid goes down.
Though Spam is convenient, easy to use and has a long shelf-life, it's also very high in fat, calories and sodium and low in important nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, it's highly processed and contains preservatives like sodium nitrite that may cause several adverse health effects.
Since spam is already cooked, you can eat it straight from the can, and it requires minimal preparation before eating. Adding additives and preservatives makes it more convenient to store up more perishable meats, like chicken, beef, and fish.
In fact, SPAM only contains six ingredients! And the brand's website lists them all. They are: pork with ham meat added (that counts as one), salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite.
The high salt content of Spam can also contribute to other health issues like bloating or water retention. Bloating, after all, is one of the most common short-term side effects of eating too much salt. Luckily, there's an easy, albeit counter-intuitive, solution to this problem: Drink more water.
Some say SPAM stands for Specially Processed American Meat, others believe it is a portmanteau for spiced ham, while others say it stands for Shoulder of Pork and Ham. As it relates to email, spam is not an acronym. What does the term spam refer to? Spam refers to unwanted, unsolicited junk emails.
One 2-ounce serving of the original Spam variety contains 180 calories and just a handful of micronutrients like zinc, potassium, iron, and copper. It also boasts 16 grams of fat. Bacon, on the other hand, has about 263 calories in a 2-ounce portion with an estimated 19.6 grams of fat.
By the end of the war, SPAM® products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM® Classic and rice becoming a popular meal. The unique flavor quickly found its way into other Hawaiian cuisine, from SPAM® Fried Wontons to SPAM® Musubi, and SPAM® products became a fixture for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. Saimin. Saimin, Hawaii's national dish, is a soup with thin wheat noodles and a dashi broth with shrimp, pork and eggs. Japanese, Chinese and Filipino cultural influences come together in a flavorful blend served hot and eaten with chopsticks.
Pork is associated with many ancient Hawaiian rituals and religious sacrifice — and even represented by a demi-god: a half-man, half-pig called Kamapua'a (or "pig child"). Hawaiians believed that eating pork and other foods that the gods had once eaten would bestow divine potency (or mana) upon them.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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