Far from just military rations during World War II, Spam now graces the supermarket shelves in an impressive 48 countries globally.
Introduced in 1937 by Hormel Foods Corporation, the spiced ham was intended to give a boost to the sales of pork shoulder - historically a less popular cut of meat.
Ken Daigneau, the brother of a vice president at Hormel Foods, pocketed $100 after winning a competition to name the brand choosing the name SPAM. From then onwards, people have wondered what this 'acronym' really means.
One bewildered Reddit user voiced their confusion, questioning: "What does the acronym SPAM (meat) mean to you?" A few suggestions emerged, including: "Shoulder Pork and Meat."
Another added: "Spare Parts of Animal Meat... At least that's what us kids called it." Yet someone declared it was "Salted Pork Aggregated Meat."
But the brand itself puts the debate to rest, confirming that SPAM isn't an acronym but likely a concocted word blending two or more different words, much like the mashup of 'brother' and 'romance' to get 'bromance'.
The brands statement reads: "There are some questions that continually plague man over time. Questions like 'Is there intelligent life beyond Earth?' And 'What is the meaning of the SPAM brand name?' Unfortunately, we can provide answers to neither."
The significance of the SPAM brand name has long been a subject of speculation. One popular belief says it's derived from the words 'spiced ham.
Apparently the real answer is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives. And probably Nostradamus.
Many myths abound, but the answer is actually quite simple," read a statement from the company. "Six simple ingredients - pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite."
