United States and territories Domestically, Spam's chief advantages were affordability, accessibility, and
extended shelf life. Statistics from the 1990s say that 3.8 cans of Spam were consumed every second in the United States, totaling nearly 122 million cans annually. It became part of the diet of almost 30% of American households, perceived differently in various regions of the country. It is also sometimes associated with economic hardship because of its relatively low cost. After World War II, Spam changed roles in the U.S. from being the main protein source to being a side dish or ingredient used in items like sandwiches and eggs. Austin, Minnesota also had a restaurant with a menu devoted exclusively to Spam called "Johnny's SPAMarama Menu". Hawaiians sometimes call it "Portagee Steak". A local dish in Hawaii is
Spam musubi, in which cooked Spam is placed on top of
rice and wrapped in a band of
nori, a form of
onigiri or riceball. Varieties of Spam are found in Hawaii and Saipan that are unavailable in other markets, such as Spam with Portuguese Sausage Seasoning. Hawaiian
Burger King restaurants began serving Spam in 2007 to compete with the local
McDonald's chains, which also serve Spam. 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". Spam had long been a target of thieves in Hawaii, but the magnitude of the thefts ramped up, with incidents in which multiple cases of Spam were stolen at once. Local retailers believe organized crime was involved. In the
Northern Mariana Islands, lawyers from Hormel have threatened to sue the local press for publishing articles alleging ill effects of high Spam consumption on the health of the local population.
Puerto Rico The Sandwich de Mezcla is a sandwich found at parties in
Puerto Rico. It is made of Spam,
Velveeta, and a spread made of
pimientos between two slices of
sandwich bread.
Europe United Kingdom After World War II, Newforge Foods, part of the Fitch Lovell group, was given the license to produce the product in the U.K. at its Belle Vale factory,
Liverpool, where it stayed until production switched to the
Danish Crown Group (owners of the Tulip Food Company) in 1998. The United Kingdom has adapted Spam into various recipes, for example, sliced, battered and
deep-fried into
Spam fritters.
Asia Spam is sometimes given as a luxury gift in Southeast Asia.
Israel Loof, a canned
corned beef product formerly featured in
Israel Defense Forces rations, is sometimes referred to as "
kosher Spam", because it contains no pork.
Philippines ", Spam with
sinangag (garlic fried rice) and eggs, is a common
Filipino breakfast combination. In the Philippines, Spam (currently distributed by
the Purefoods-Hormel Company Inc.) is a popular food item seen as a cultural symbol. Spam reached the islands similarly as it did other former US colonies such as
Hawaii and
Guam: as a result of
World War II rationing. Spam is commonly eaten with rice (usually
garlic fried rice) and a sunny-side-up egg for breakfast. It is prepared and used in a variety of ways, including being fried, caramelized, The popularity of Spam in the Philippines transcends economic class, and the canned product is even given during holidays. There are at least ten different varieties of Spam currently available in the country, and an estimated 1.25 million kilos of the meat is sold every year in the Philippines. Its popularity among Filipinos has led to the creation of a version with sugar and annatto—Spam with tocino seasoning, made for the overseas Filipino market in the US and Canada. During the rescue efforts after
Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009, Hormel Foods donated over 30,000 pounds of Spam to the
Philippine National Red Cross. A
chicken-based version is also available exclusively in the Philippines. .
China In mainland China, Hormel decided to adopt a different strategy to market Spam (), promoting it as a foreign, premium food product and changing the Spam formula to be meatier to accommodate local Chinese tastes. Spam-like canned pork products are also produced by other food companies in China as "luncheon meat" ().
Hong Kong After World War II, meat was scarce and expensive in
Hong Kong, so Spam was an accessible, affordable alternative. The luncheon meat has been incorporated into dishes such as macaroni with fried egg and Spam in chicken soup, egg and Spam sandwiches, and
instant ramen. Nowadays, Spam remains a staple in Hong Kong’s low to middle-income families.
South Korea Spam was exported to Korea post-World War II, whose population was on the brink of starvation. US soldiers deployed to South Korea used Spam as a means of trading for items, services, or information around their bases. Spam and other meats were smuggled out of US military installations for the local population. Its popularity led to the creation of the Spam
kimbap (rice and vegetable filled seaweed roll) in Korean cuisine. Because of a scarcity of fish and other traditional kimbap products such as
kimchi or fermented cabbage, Spam was added to a rice roll with kimchi and cucumber and wrapped in seaweed. Spam is also an original ingredient in
budae jjigae (; ), a spicy stew with different types of preserved meat or kimchi. In
South Korea, Spam (licensed from Hormel by
CJ CheilJedang) is popular with a majority of the population. , South Korea produced and consumed more Spam than any other country except the United States. It is considered something of a luxury dish and is a common gift for
Korean New Year combined with cooking oil and seasoning. Spam sales in Japan declined after the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and Hormel shifted its focus to China, In the summer of 2011, Burger King introduced its own version of a burger made of Spam, called 'BK Shot' Spam Burgers. These small burgers are filled with slices of the canned meat and were an attempt by Burger King to capitalize on Spam's popularity in Japan. In early 2014, Burger King also introduced the Spam and Cheese burger as a breakfast menu item. == In popular culture ==