[2] Spam's main ingredients are pork shoulder and ham,[3] with salt, water, modified potato starch (as a binder), sugar, and sodium nitrite (as a preservative).

Concerns about Spam's nutritional attributes have been raised because it contains twice as much of the daily dietary recommendation of fat as it does of protein, and about the health effects of salt and preservatives.

[7] Spam has become part of popular culture, including a Monty Python sketch, which repeated the name many times, leading to its name being borrowed to describe unsolicited electronic messages, especially email.

[9][10] The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America states that the product was intended to increase the sale of pork shoulder, a cut which did not sell well.

[12] The difficulty of delivering fresh meat to the front during World War II saw Spam become a ubiquitous part of the U.S. soldier's diet.

It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical", "meatloaf without basic training", [1][13] and "Special Army Meat".

[16] During World War II and the occupations that followed, Spam was introduced into Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa, the Philippines, and other islands in the Pacific.

Immediately absorbed into native diets, it has become a unique part of the history and effects of U.S. influence in the Pacific islands.

[18][19] In addition to increasing production for the U.K., Hormel expanded Spam output as part of Allied aid to the Soviet Union.

[1] 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.

[36] Local chefs and restaurants compete to create new Spam-themed dishes, which are then sold in a massive street fair on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.

[41] After World War II, Newforge Foods, part of the Fitch Lovell group, was awarded the license to produce the product in the U.K. at its Belle Vale factory, Liverpool,[42] where it stayed until production switched to the Danish Crown Group (owners of the Tulip Food Company) in 1998.

[44] Loof, a canned corned beef product often featured in Israeli Defense Forces rations, was popularly known as "kosher Spam",[45] because it contains no pork.

[47] 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.

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.

[52] 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.

[55] Spam-like canned pork products are also produced by other food companies in China as "luncheon meat" (Chinese: 午餐肉; pinyin: Wǔcānròu; Jyutping: Ng5 caan1 juk6; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄨˇ ㄘㄢ ㄖㄡˋ).

[56][57] US soldiers deployed to South Korea used Spam as a means of trading for items, services, or information around their bases.

[59] Its popularity led to the creation of the Spam kimbap (rice and vegetable filled seaweed roll) in Korean cuisine.

[61] In South Korea, Spam (Korean: 스팸; RR: seupaem, licensed from Hormel by CJ CheilJedang)[62] is popular[63] with a majority of the population.

[65][66] It is considered something of a luxury dish and is a common gift for Korean New Year combined with cooking oil and seasoning.

[56] After World War II, meat was scarce and expensive in Hong Kong, so Spam was an accessible, affordable alternative.

In Okinawa, Japan, the product is added into onigiri alongside eggs and used as a staple ingredient in the traditional Okinawan dish chanpurū, and a Spam burger is sold by local fast food chain Jef.

[14] In 1943, comedian Suzette Tarri appeared as the harassed waitress character "Mrs Spam" in the British film Somewhere in Civvies.

[82] In Top Gear: Polar Special, James May took a can of Spam to the magnetic North Pole and Jeremy Clarkson destroyed it with a shotgun.

[85] The small town of Shady Cove, Oregon, is home to the annual Spam Parade and Festival, with the city allocating US$1,500 for it.

[87] On August 8, 2021, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue established "National SPAM Musubi Day" to celebrate the iconic snack from Hawaii.