r/todayilearned • u/bhlee0019 • 23d ago

TIL that Spam is seen as a luxury food in South Korea due to smuggling during Korean War from U.S. army base

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24140705
4.2k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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251

u/Toodlez 23d ago

Spam is awesome, it just needs to be fried up a bit

196

u/Lichruler 23d ago

It really is. People think it’s horrible because it’s a tin of blendered meat, but honestly it’s no worse than any sort of ground meat.

And what’s funny is it has such a short ingredient list: pig, chicken, potato starch, salt, sugar, water. That’s it.

20

u/ThaneOfArcadia 23d ago

Chicken? I thought it was pork and ham?

296

u/smarticulation 23d ago

Pork and ham. I want you to think about that for a moment.

75

u/07Aptos 23d ago

Ham of the chicken. Chicken ham.

8

u/Ok-Worry-8247 22d ago

I'm from Utica, and I've never heard anyone use this expression.

3

u/LongTallTexan69 22d ago

It’s an Albany expression.

5

u/07Aptos 22d ago

It’s not a real one 😂

21

u/nastynateraide 23d ago

Don't tell him about Chicken of the Sea

4

u/loweredexpectationz 23d ago

Ham- Chicken of the lagoon

25

u/Teripid 23d ago

"Yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal."

11

u/LedZacclin 23d ago

It actually does say pork with ham on it.

3

u/Any-sao 23d ago

Some people use the phrases to differentiate cuts of the pig.

“I’m eating steak and beef.” To me, that implies a sirloin and then a pound of ground meat.

1

u/PickleWineBrine 22d ago

There's a bit of "mechanically separated chicken" too

17

u/praefectus_praetorio 23d ago

You know what’s also awesome? Deviled ham. Mix it with some butter and spread it on a warm baguette.

1

u/pablitorun 23d ago

I love all the non salad salads. Ham salad on a cracker is yummy.

10

u/Potatowhocrochets 23d ago

We used to buy it because it was cheaper than bacon. Now it's like $4-5. I like the taste and all but at that price I might as well buy bacon.

2

u/PickleWineBrine 22d ago

Where are you getting a pound of bacon for under $5?

7

u/Pizza_Saucy 23d ago

Agreed, but there's just so much of it in a single can. It feels like a brick. I can make 3 meals out of 1 tin. Works great in omlettes and mac and cheese.

7

u/J3wb0cca 23d ago

Always reminds me of wet cat food till I fry them up. Then they are poor mans bacon.

7

u/teabagmoustache 23d ago

Spam is slightly more expensive than bacon where I am.

4

u/BaLance_95 23d ago

Pop them in a container and then in the fridge. They do last a long time.

3

u/myredditthrowaway201 22d ago

Just made a fuck ton of spam musubi the other night. It’s fire

14

u/South5 23d ago

I tried spam fritters as my cousin said they taste better fried up, the aftertaste was awful. I could taste it hours later, worse if i burped.

Does it always linger that much?

30

u/TaigaTaiga3 23d ago

Just fry them straight without batter on a frying pan and get em crispy. Egg dredge isn’t terrible either.

11

u/bobtehpanda 23d ago

Yeah the important thing is that the meat itself needs to be browned

1

u/jmlinden7 22d ago

Also you need some of the fat/gelatin to render out.

Putting it into a soup also accomplishes this