A canned spiced ham made by the Hormel company since 1937. Competing and generic brands sell their products under the generic term "luncheon meat."
Due to its low price and ease of preservation, it was regularly issued as a field ration to soldiers around the world, particularly the United States Army during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The meat would often end up within the communities where American forces were stationed and was incorporated into local dishes. Examples include Okinawan poku tamago (pork & eggs) dishes, Korean budae-jjigae (Army base stew), and Hawaiian Spam musubi.
The meat's abundance and its reputation of its low quality spawned a slang for quantity over quality.
