Spam (food)

Spam (stylized in all-caps) is a brand of lunch meat (processed canned pork and ham) made by Hormel Foods Corporation, an American multinational food processing company. It was introduced in the United States in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. As of July 5, 2022, Spam is sold in 48 countries, and trademarked in more than 100 countries, on 6 continents.

Spam's main ingredient is a mixture of pork and ham, with salt, water, modified potato starch (as a binder), sugar, and sodium nitrite (as a preservative). Natural gelatin is formed during cooking in its cans on the production line. It is available in different flavors, some using different meats, as well as in "lite" and lower-sodium versions. Spam is pre-cooked, making it safe to consume straight from the can, but it is often cooked further for taste.

Spam has become part of popular culture, including a Monty Python sketch, which repeated the name many times, leading to its name being used to describe unsolicited electronic messages, especially email. It is occasionally celebrated at festivals such as Spamarama in Austin, Texas.