The 9 Most Popular Myths About Spam

Spam Was Made Because Of WWII

One pervasive myth about Spam is that it was created due to the outbreak of World War II. While it is understandable why people think that, it isn't the truth. World War II didn't start until 1939, and Spam's official release was in 1937. However, while Spam wasn't technically made because of the war, it grew in popularity and became more recognized because of its important role during combat.

As a canned meat, Spam was ideal for serving to the troops. It would keep for a long time, so there was no risk of it spoiling. It was commonly consumed by Allied troops, including those fighting for The Soviet Union. Years later, Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union during the war, wrote in his biography that Spam played an important role in saving the Soviet Army and helping them prevail in the war. Spam's popularity continued to grow during and after the war. By 1959, just over 20 years after it was first released, one billion cans of Spam had been sold around the world.

You Can Only Buy Spam In America

"Spam is an American food" is another myth you may have always assumed was true. This isn't true now and wasn't true even several years ago. As we previously mentioned, even just a few years after Spam was released, it was being used to keep the troops of many Allied countries nourished during World War II. In 1941, the Lend-Lease Act was signed, granting the United States government permission to share (lend or lease) supplies with other countries during the war. Spam was one of these supplies that was included with aid sent to other countries, specifically the Soviet Union and Great Britain. Between its introduction to these other countries through the act and how the canned ham's popularity spread even in Axis countries after the war, it has never been solely an American food.

Today, Spam is an international brand. It is available in 50 countries across the globe, including a concentration in North America, Central America, Asia, and Australia. In fact, in many Asian countries, Spam is more than just a mundane item to buy at the store. It is a key component of many Asian dishes, such as kimchi fried rice and Spam musubi. 

Everyone Knows What Spam Stands For

Everyone has an idea of what Spam stands for. Most people don't even consider the possibility that their interpretation of the name could be wrong. Some believe the name stands for shoulder of pork and ham, while others assume it's an acronym for scientifically processed animals matter. There are other guesses as well, many of which are incorrect.

As far as we can tell, Spam stands for spiced ham. It is an example of a portmanteau -- two existing words and their meanings combined to form a new word. In this case, the "sp" from the beginning of spiced and the "am" from the ending of ham are combined to create Spam. Ken Digneau is credited with naming the canned meat. He was the brother of one of the Hormel executives when the product was first released and participated in the naming contest the company was running for their new creation. His entry was selected, which is why the canned good carries the enigmatic moniker to this day.

The Term For Spam Junk Mail Is In No Way Tied To The Canned Food

Today, when most of us use the word "spam" we aren't referring to canned ham. Instead, we are talking about the near-constant inundation of junk mail, telemarketer calls, and emails that flood our mailboxes, voicemails, and inboxes. Most of us don't consider the possibility that this use of "spam" has any connection to the name of the canned ham sold by Hormel Foods. Believe it or not, spam, as it refers to junk mail, and Spam, the canned ham, are actually related, and you can thank Monty Python.

In 1970, one of the sketches on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" took place in a cafe where two people were trying to order breakfast. The waitress read off the menu items, nearly all of which contained Spam. One of the customers expressed frustration as she wanted something without Spam, while another customer tried to point out which dishes had less Spam. At many mentions of the word Spam, some Vikings, sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant, broke into songs about the canned ham, drowning out her order requests.

Her experience was similar those who remember the early inboxes of the '90s that were stuffed with unsolicited mail, through which people had to sift to find their "real" mail. Then, in 1994, the publication "Network World" described this as a "spam attack," and from there, the term caught fire.