Story – Monty Python and the Origin of Spam
Who doesn’t know spam?
Well, actually I didn’t, until some years ago. It’s hard to find in the Netherlands, but we have a product that’s very similar: Smac. It seems to be a Dutch family favourite and often appears in more ‘traditional’ (not the Italian way) macaroni recipes. This is also shown in the ad below, where the housewive who recommends Smac tells that she adds Smac cubes in her delicious macaroni dish. The difference between the two products is the fact that Spam was first introduced in 1937 by the American company Hormel, where Smac has been produced by the Dutch brand Unox since the 1950’s. Also, Spam consists of pork, and Smac contains chicken in addition to pork.
Recently, spam has been very visible in popular food culture. People add it to sandwiches, burgers, ramen and sushi. I’ve even seen spam fries (?). Let’s say creativity is a good thing! But there’s more to this processed meat-like product that comes in a tin. I like researching interesting things I find on the internet (or should I say Wikipedia 🙃), and this story is one of them.
This is where Monty Python comes in
The British comedy group Monthy Python, famous for their films like Monthy Python and the Holy Grail (1975), created the sketch comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Their sketch called ‘Spam’ first aired in 1970.
This sketch turned out to be the origin of a different kind of spam: unwanted electronic messages, often seen in emails or on internet forums. The annoying repetition of the word ‘spam’ led to spam as we know it nowadays. For example, lyrics of the spam song in this sketch were used as internet spam in the 80’s and 90’s. Eventually, it became the collective name for all types of spam. Spam, spam, spam. This post starts to feel like spam, considering the number of times I’ve mentioned the word!
Anyway, fancy the most basic Dutch macaroni dish with Smac? Here’s a recipe (not sponsored by Unox whatsoever).
(Honestly, I can’t say that I’m a Monty Python fan. I like fun stories though! So, stay tuned for similar food-related anecdotes in the future)
Further reading
Spam recipe inspiration, just use Smac if you’re Dutch
https://montypython.fandom.com/wiki/Spam
Spam: The evolution of a nuisance, by Stephen Hinde