Over sixty years ago, when meat was bought from a butcher, Jay Hormel's idea for pork in a can was nothing short of revolutionary. How in the world (and why in the world) did he do it? In nine highly engaging and entertaining chapters, complete with over 200 illustrations and photos, author and Spam-fan Carolyn Wyman traces the unbelievable success story of this one-of-a-kind, all-American, all-pork product, including: Spam's place in history, its role during World War II, and how Spam saved the Russian army from starvation, the making (yes, the ingredients) and the selling of Spam, from 1937 to today, spamming the Globe: From Zimbabwe to Anguilla, stories of Spam overseas, the infamous Monty Python skit and Spam's other starring roles and cameos in television, movies, cartoons, and music, delectable recipes like Spam Fritters, Spamtastic Mincemeat Truffles, and the award-winning Spam Cheesecake, Cyber Spam: The best of Spam on the Internet, including poetry from the Spam Haiku Archive. A fascinating portrait of an icon in a can, Spam: A Biography will delight everyone from the culinarily curious and connoisseurs of kitsch to netheads and veterans-and of course, Spam's true fans: the millions of people who eat America's "Miracle Meat" for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. SPAM-tistics: (1)Spam is sold in over 45 countries around the world. (2)Over 100 million cans are consumed by 60 million Americans each year, averaging 2.8 cans per second (3)The Spam can is part of the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection (4)Over 5 billion cans of Spam have been sold since 1937. (5)Hawaiians are the highest per capita Spam eaters-averaging 4 cans/year per person-followed closely by Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama (6)Hormel-sponsored Best of Spam Recipe competitions are held each year at more than 75 state and regional fairs (7)Over 20,000 people attend the Spam Jam in Spamtown, USA, aka Austin, Minnesota, Hormel's headquarters.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The Cadillac of canned meat food products finally gets its due with Spam: A Biography. The book traces the meat's story from its distant Hormel ancestry through its history-changing 1937 birth, right up to the present day. Along the way we discover that its ingredients are not nearly so revolting as one might have been lead to think (merely pork shoulder, ham, salt, sugar, and delicious sodium nitrite) and that Spam received its pithy name from actor and friend of the Hormel family, Kenneth Daigneau. But this is no rosy-hued love letter to luncheon meats. Wyman tackles the tough issues of Hormel's labor problems during the 1980s and the visceral hatred many World War II GIs developed for Spam after finding it in meals for days on end. (Wyman also notes alternative wartime Spam uses, including skin conditioner, gun lubricant, and thickly-sliced playing cards.) In an invaluable service, readers are reassured as to the benign nature of the disturbing gelatin that surrounds Spam, and taught how to tell which batch they're eating by deciphering the markings on their cans. The author also tracks the history of Spam advertising and descends into the terrifying maelstrom of obsessive Spam fans. Of course, no book on Spam would be complete without recipes, and Wyman includes some truly chilling examples, including "SPAMtastic Mincemeat Truffles," "Fruit Cocktail-SPAM Buffet Party Loaf," and the absolutely ungodly "Lobster Thermidor aux Crevettes with a Mornay Sauce Garnished with Truffle Pâté, Brandy, and a Fried Egg on Top and Spam." --Ali Davis
From Booklist
A main-meal casserole accompanied by baked beans, pineapple, and brown sugar. A foodstuff popularized by military legends. Every conceivable topic related to this spiced ham product is explored: its origins in Austin, Minnesota; history and wartime stories; advertising and promotions; manufacturing; and Spam spoofs and features in the media. Certainly, newspaper food columnist Wyman has done her homework. A hodgepodge of illustrations cries 1940s and 1950s design style, and a mixture of innumerable facts and creative fiction amuses, entertains, and impresses. Could anyone resist the following ditty: "But marital bliss is sure to cease/If I ever ask for ham/And find my eggs are looking up/From a goldarned slice of Spam." More than you ever dreamed--or could consume. Barbara Jacobs
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By ebetsy
Format:Paperback
In this marvelously apropos sequel to "I'm A Spam Fan"-- her wonderfully readable round-up of household brand names-- Carolyn Wyman cooks up a campy collation of fun facts and festive factoids that delightfully delineates the enduring mystique of America's favorite mystery meat. We Love It!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
SPAM luncheon meat has been good "eats" for over 60 years and this book nicely reviews its place in our culinary history. For a book full of both old and new ways to fix SPAM, a fan will also need Linda Egger's SPAM, The Cookbook.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Hidden beneath the barrage of silly spamaphenelia lies a story about the development of one of the most well known brands in America, and the world. This book offers interesting insight into one of the longest continually sold products in America.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Spam is a luncheon loaf loved by millions and despised by just as many. It's also a food staple that is a verified piece of Americana. I've never been a huge fan of spam neither have I been one of its detractors. After visiting the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota I decided to learn a little more about this infamous concoction of pork and bought and read SPAM: A BIOGRAPHY Beginning with the origins of the Hormel food company and the eventual creation of Spam and continuing into the end of the twentieth century, SPAM: A BIOGRAPHY chronicles the life and times of America's "miracle meat". It's surprising how much history one famous product has. In addition to a chronology of Spam and its parent company, SPAM: A BIOGRAPHY also examines Spam's impact upon culture, both in America and abroad; from Monty Python to the Russian front in WWII to Hawaiian Spam huts, it's all examined here. Spread throughout the book are also a variety of recipes for creating Spam dishes, such as Spam cheesecake, Spam Spargot, and Spam bread.
After reading SPAM: A BIOGRAPHY I'm still not really a fan of Spam, but I do have a better appreciation for the luncheon loaf. I'm no longer ashamed to admit that I kind of like the taste of Spam, but I still wouldn't want to eat it everyday. In reading the book, I also learned a lot of quirky trivia such as the connection between Hormel's Spam, Monty Python, and the naming of email junk mail as spam. Recommended for people who both like to read and are Spam fans. Trivia buffs might also enjoy it.
After reading SPAM: A BIOGRAPHY I'm still not really a fan of Spam, but I do have a better appreciation for the luncheon loaf. I'm no longer ashamed to admit that I kind of like the taste of Spam, but I still wouldn't want to eat it everyday. In reading the book, I also learned a lot of quirky trivia such as the connection between Hormel's Spam, Monty Python, and the naming of email junk mail as spam. Recommended for people who both like to read and are Spam fans. Trivia buffs might also enjoy it.
By lone eagle
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Interesting A great read and you guys ask for too many words, either I like it or I don't so there>
By A. M. Harris
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
When we fly to Polynesia we take Spam for trading. We also enjoy 'spamming' foreign friends with books like this one. Great book.
By K. J. Kalin
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a comprehensive history of Spam with plenty of illustrations and does contain some recipes-but not the usual ones. The recipes include "Piggy Pâté," "Spam Kelaguen" from Guam, "Pig Newtons," and "Spam and Banana Fritters." It covers Spam in the comics, on TV, in movies, in WWII of course, and Monty Python, too. The main drawback is that the recipes are not separately indexed. That would be helpful.
By Swiggy
Format:Paperback
I can only start with a book that ends up interviewing me for it's content has to be great! (Page 129-130)
Lack of modesty aside, I had delved into the famous pink pork product long before Carolyn contacted me for an interview and I found that I was amazed at the amount of information she acquired. From the very beginnings of the Hormel packing company, to the first experimentation with canning pork products, to the development and naming of the product and its love/hate relationship with the US military (The only pork product with a presidential pardon) it has been the bane of many, the joy to many, and a can of that insured a WWII GI in most countries more than just a good night kiss from a local lass.
I heartily endorse this book!
Lack of modesty aside, I had delved into the famous pink pork product long before Carolyn contacted me for an interview and I found that I was amazed at the amount of information she acquired. From the very beginnings of the Hormel packing company, to the first experimentation with canning pork products, to the development and naming of the product and its love/hate relationship with the US military (The only pork product with a presidential pardon) it has been the bane of many, the joy to many, and a can of that insured a WWII GI in most countries more than just a good night kiss from a local lass.
I heartily endorse this book!
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