The memorable “Spam” was rebranded on July 5, 1937, when the product, whose original name was far less memorable (Hormel Spiced Ham), began to lose market share.
The name was chosen from multiple entries in a naming contest. A Hormel official once stated that the original meaning of the name Spam was “Shoulder of Pork and hAM“. According to writer Marguerite Patten in Spam – The Cookbook, the name was suggested by Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president. At one time, the official explanation may have been that the name was a syllabic abbreviation of “SPiced hAM“, but on their official website, Hormel denies this and states that “SPAM is just that. SPAM.” The fact that the originator was given a $100 prize for coming up with the name, however, still appears on the site’s SPAM FAQs.
Other varieties of Spam include Spam Less Sodium, Spam Garlic, Spam and Cheese, Spam with Bacon (Hormel bacon), Spam Spread, Spam Lite (containing pork and chicken), Spam Golden Honey Grail, Spam Hot and Spicy (with Tabasco sauce), Spam Hickory Smoked and Spam Oven Roasted Turkey – the latter is a halal food, meaning that it is allowed under Islamic law, and is especially popular in Muslim markets.
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The Haus of Dcaligari 