Sandwiches have become increasingly elaborate creations: pillows of golden focaccia dripping with sumptuous pulled meats, tahini dressings, and spice-crusted roast veg. And yet, back in the day, you were lucky if you got a smear of margarine on yesterday’s white bread with a hunk of pink, pockmarked SPAM slammed unceremoniously in between. Ah yes, SPAM, there’s a reason why it became the butt of a Monty Python sketch and is now most commonly associated with the most annoying type of email correspondence. It’s unsexy, ultimately unhealthy and, at one point, was utterly unavoidable. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, as we’ve established, food standards have somewhat evolved since WWII rationing so SPAM doesn’t get as much of a look-in at lunchtime these days. Still, most of us have at least heard of it even if we’ve never actually tried it. Monty Python - Spam youtu.be But now, people have suddenly realised that they don’t actually know what the acronym of its name stands for. Plenty of people have their own theories, though, which they’ve publicly shared on Twitter. “What does SPAM stand for? Salty Piece A' Meat?” one asked. “I often conjectured that 'Spam' was an acronym for 'Spoiled Ham',” wrote another. Another nodded to an old joke made by retired stand-up comedian Bill Endgvall: “I finally figured out what spam stands for – stuff posing as meat.” While another suggested it actually connotes “scientifically processed animal matter”. To clarify, SPAM itself is processed meat made of a pork and ham mixture, salt, sugar, potato starch, water, and sodium nitrite. The meat is ground and combined with the other ingredients before it is transferred to its signature rectangular can, vacuum-sealed, and cooked inside, the Encyclopedia Britannica notes. And despite the plethora of alternative suggestions, the name is, in fact, a portmanteau for spiced ham. It was coined in 1937 by its creator, New York actor Ken Daigneau, whose brother was an executive at the manufacturer Hormel Foods. According to Britannica, Daigneau later confessed that he’d come up with the name before he’d even conceived of the product, thinking it was memorable. Well, he sure hit the money on that one. SPAM continues to be loved by millions of households across the world, with more than 10 varieties of meat available on the market. Indeed, in Hawaii where it is perhaps best loved by consumers, it is enjoyed in a number of unique ways, including as an alternative to raw fish or egg in a sushi-style dish called musubi. And sure, we love our kimchi cauliflower milk rolls and slow-cooked lamb flatbreads but, credit where it’s due, SPAM has proven that it's the truly simple things that often stand the test of time. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

BOSTON (AP) — Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings beat Boston 5-2 on Friday for their second victory over the NHL-leading Bruins this season.

The man, now 79, allegedly shot a man in the back as he was crossing into West Germany.

US Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton will open for Team World against Team Europe's 19-year-old Arthur Fils of France in the opening match of the team tennis...

Lee Jung-hee was set to turn 60 next year but South Korea dropped its traditional age counting system Wednesday, so the Seoul-based housewife just got a...

Bebe Rexha appeared on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' where she discussed her struggles with PCOS, which contributed to her weight reaching 165 pounds

Heather Mack faces nearly 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to having helped kill her mother.

Jenna Jameson and Jessi Lawless feel that though they are quite different, they form a good pair while Jameson proudly calls herself ‘Jessi’s Girl'

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 5, 2023--

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON About two billion years ago in a galaxy far beyond our Milky Way, a

Both sides of the political spectrum have their say about ESG: It’s either just a label that costs more, or it’s saving the world

Hungary’s foreign minister says that his government wants guarantees from Kyiv that a Hungarian bank that was removed from a Ukrainian list of sponsors of Russia’s war will not be placed back on that list in the future