13 April, 2010

SPAM with Cheese

It was the last one left on the shelf.

Years ago – early 1990’s, so we’re talking almost twenty years gone – I used to kind of like SPAM, served in certain contexts. It was pretty decent, for example, cut into slices and fried for breakfast alongside eggs. And it was okay for omelets: cut it up into little cubes and sizzle the bits with onion and green pepper, and then use it for the omelet filling.

And then something happened. I never saw any announcement, or news item, or note on the web, but it seems to me that Hormel changed the recipe for SPAM. It seemed to taste different than it used to - a bit fattier, maybe? - and I kind of grew away from it.  And Hormel started introducing a whole bunch of new varieties. SPAM with bacon. Hickory smoked SPAM. SPAM with garlic. SPAM Lite. Turkey SPAM, for cryin’ out loud. Single-Serving SPAM. And this stuff: SPAM with cheese.

No, I didn’t buy it. But if anyone out there has tried it, leave me a comment and let me know what you think of it. 
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10 comments:

Eric M said...

I don't know about Spam with Cheese, but Spam with Bacon was pretty great, though not very bacony. Just subtly smoky.

Andrew said...

I'm a fan of Spam, but don't trust all of Hormell's weird new varieties. Why not leave good enough alone?

Fropa Jones said...

Ooh! I super want to try this! I'm a super healthy eater, but every Thanksgiving night, my Dad and I polish off a can of Spam and a brick of Velveeta cheese-this snack dates back at least 25 years for us.

Dave said...

Fropa Jones - Whoa. A whole brick of Velveeta between the two of you?? That is totally hardcore. I salute you.

Drew - I'd agree, but I'm pretty certain Hormel did something to regular SPAM, too. Something...squishy. And suspicious.

Eric M - "With Bacon" seems to be the new keyword for "extra salty and smoky-tasting." Sometimes when you cook "with bacon" stuff it smells completely awesome, though.

Anonymous said...

"it seems to me that Hormel changed the recipe for SPAM. It’s a lot fattier than it used to be, and seems spongier in texture."

The Spam of my childhood seemed to be made of larger bits of meat and less of the pasty stuff. It's looking more and more like Hormel Treet. I've had the Spam with cheese and can't say it adds much to the experience.

Anonymous said...

I have a good friend that works for Hormel and he gets to try out the new SPAM flavors. He said that the Turkey one is the only one he won't eat. I get SPAM and some other Hormel stuff from him every Christmas. I like the garlic kind.

I make spam musubi (japanese rice w/ a dash of teriyaki, formed into a block, slice of fried spam on top, wrap with nori). Wrap a few in plastic wrap and they stay warm for awhile and make a good snack.

The cheese kind, when I fried it up, the cheese bits get pretty liquid and hot, kind of like when you eat hotdogs with cheese in them. Not bad, not my favorite.

I should ask him if he knows when the recipe changed if it did.

Fropa Jones said...

Oh, beaniesue, you've just sold me on the Spam with cheese. I have been crazy about those cheese hotdogs since I was wee-they're the only things I ever begged my mom to buy for me in the store. Hooray for fake cheese!!

Anonymous said...

Have had the cheese, fried in a pan with eggs and was not impressed with the texture and the extreme saltiness of it..

Naik Sair said...

I love the turkey spam. Don't eat it very often though cause I suppose it's got to be terrible for you.

Frances said...

The Spam with Cheese was not very good. I love the regular spam and the tabasco spam. Any other kinds are not good at all. But you got to try them yourself to find out.