I cut open a can of Spam one day and right away saw white lumps of fat in the Spam. My initial reaction was that they looked like mold. I just stood there staring at them, questioning if I had possibly ruined my lunch. If you have ever found white specks in your canned meat and instantly panicked, I totally understand.
What is Inside of Spam?
To begin to calm my fears, I needed to learn what is of Spam. Spam is a pre-cooked canned meat product, created by combining pork and ham. The main components of Spam are pork and ham, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite (preservative). So, that’s it, no weird lumps added to your Spam.
Like most processed foods, Spam contains pork fat within the meat itself because Spam is created using the entire cut of pork, including both the lean meat portion and fat portions. Fat is used for a variety of purposes and is not just “filler,” it adds to texture, moisture, and overall flavor of the Spam. Without fat, Spam would be dry and crumbly, not sliceable and moist.
Spam is made from cutting and grinding the meat together with seasoning and preservatives; placing the meat mixture into cans; sealing the cans; and then cooking the meat inside of the cans. This sealed cooking method is important for ensuring that the canned meat is safe for long-term storage.
