Ad date unknown, but Spam was invented in 1937, and this ad calls it “new”, so late 30s to early 40s is my guess.
Curiously, the product has an almost joke reputation in parts of the world, but in others it is considered a delicacy or luxury. Receiving a can of Spam from a mainland-US friend would be a gag gift, but it is given as a real gift in some places. That seems to be a historical result of huge amounts of Spam delivered into pacific islands by the US during WW-II. Soldiers would give the cans to the local food-stressed populations, and to this day it is associated with liberation and freedom. From there it was integrated into national cuisines. Countries like the Philippines have picked up the ball and run, inventing new local variations, incorporating local flavor and spice profiles, and using it in genuinely creative ways in traditional dishes.
Then came Python. To its credit, Hormel played along and leaned into the fun, rather than sending attack lawyers. They even created special Spam cans for Spamalot.
Spam.
In Okinawa, spam has quite a reputation and is used on a lot of regional dishes. One dish we do around the house in occasion is spam and bittermelon (Okinawan goya if possible). The trick is to soak the bittermelon in water for a bit after you slice it up, as that helps reduce it’s bitterness. You can also add carrot or egg to the mix too, and usually eaten with rice.
Btw, official Spam is fine but I kinda prefer Tulip brand. I unfortunately can’t find it in the States, though.
That’s a new one for me. For anyone else like me who was not familiar with that fruit: bittermelon.
That’s why I wanted to share it :)
It’s something my partner grew up with, but it’s difficult to find good goya. Stuff we find tends to be a little too bitter. I also can’t compete with their mom, she is a traditional cuisine instructor. (And her stewed pork belly is truly phenomenal).