The Official Canned Meat of Island Kitsch

My recent "subscription" to the awesome cooking blog, Back of the Refrigerator Gourmet (botrg.blogspot.com), has inspired me to write my first food article for Island Kitsch. When I was thinking about what to write about, the answer hit me like a ton of bricks, if the bricks were made of pressed meat... come on you know what I'm talking about... Spam!

How big a deal is Spam in Hawaii? You find it in nicer restaurants frequented by locals (not so much at the resorts), it's commanded a signifigant shelf space in grocery stores, and it's sold by cases at island Costcos. In fact, it's estimated that over 5 cans are eaten by every man, woman and child on the islands. It's a featured item in the famous plate lunch at local diners and restaurants.

I was first introduced to this phenomenom when I lived on the island of Maui. Everyday at 'aina awakea (lunch) the workers would get together and share our lunches. As a haole, it took me a couple of times to learn to leave my sandwiches at home and bring items that could be easily shared with others. This was a fantastic opportunity for a budding gourmet to sample a huge range of foods I had never imagined trying. Often I would ask what the ingredients were and a common theme began to develop. Many times the meat was Spam. The first time I was told this, I actually laughed. I looked up to see five deadpan faces staring back at me. I sheepishly ate my lunch. Later that day, a coworker from the Philippines who shared my enthusiasm for food, told me not to worry, mine was a common reaction from people not raised on the islands. He even helped me redeem myself by teaching me an easy dish made with Spam (more on that later).

Now, I was raised in California, then Utah and finally settled in Washington. No where in my experience was I prepared to consider Spam a meat staple. Sure I had tasted it. It was even a popular item for Boy Scout backpacking. But I never used it if I had other choices. Of course, the reason for its popularity as a backpack food was a big part of its its popularity on the islands.

Spam is a portable, durable canned meat that doesn't require refrigeration until its opened (and some claim even after, but really?). During World War II, meat rationing was often necessary to divert supplies to the troops. Hawaii has no indigenous large meat animal. These three facts add up to how it became popular. With imported "fresh" meat supplies in short supply, Spam became a great alternative. Salted pork is a popular meat in asian dishes so the substitution was an easy one. For children raised during this time, it became a familiar and comfortable taste that they passed on to their children.

The dish that helped me to gain my place back at the lunch table is a common one on the islands. Spam Musubi is made by layering a piece of fried or baked Spam which has been marinated in teriyaki or soy sauce on a block of compressed rice and wrapping in nori (dried seaweed). Eventually, I learned to use small-grain white rice prepared as you would sushi rice for the right consistency. This began my life-love of sushi.

Spam, being heavily salted and prepared with nitrates is not the healthiest food available, so moderation is a good idea. Still, try it. Stir-fry it with vegetables and your favorite sauce. You may be suprised by how well it blends with a variety of items. For me, the taste still brings back memories of my time on Maui and that's a very good thing. Aloha.