Get ready for SPAM Appreciation Week!

In the days before spam was a term for annoying emails, it was more synonymous as a brand name for canned cooked meat.

During World War II, Spam was not only eaten but was also incorporated into many other aspects of the war (grease for guns, cans for scrap metal, etc.); it was so prominent that Uncle Sam was nicknamed "Uncle Spam."

The luncheon meat was subsequently praised by both Dwight Eisenhower and Margaret Thatcher for its role in the allied victory.

And it has remained on supermarket shelves and in kitchen cupboards, not to mention school dinner and even chip shop menus ever since.

The canned meat (which is from prime shoulder pork and leg ham) even has its own appreciation week, which this year runs from March 6-12.

Since it was launched in 1937 SPAM has sold billions of tins worldwide.

The name Spam was derived from a contraction of ‘spiced ham’. The original variety of Spam is still available today, acknowledged as the ‘spiced hammiest’ of them all.

During WWII and beyond, the meat colloquially became known in the UK as an acronym that stood for Special Processed American Meat.

There have been different variations introduced including a “lite” version as well as packs of the ubiquitous SPAM fritters.

Spam has affected popular culture, including a Monty Python skit, which repeated the name many times, leading to its name being borrowed to describe unsolicited electronic messages, especially email.

Residents of the state of Hawaii have the highest per capita consumption in the United States, bringing in sales of seven million cans of SPAM per year.

Spam is celebrated in Austin, Minnesota, home to the Spam Museum. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture.

So, in honour of the luncheon meat, here’s a SPAM recipe to try:

SPAM Mac ‘n’ Cheese (serves 4-6 people)

Ingredients

1 x 340g can of SPAM® – cubed

1 litre whole milk

625g uncooked macaroni

500g mild cheddar cheese - grated

125g reduced fat mozzarella cheese

55g cream cheese

56g butter

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 pinch nutmeg

250g panko breadcrumbs

Parsley to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Lightly fry the cubed SPAM® in a large skillet or frying pan, then remove from the pan or

skillet and set aside.

2. Add the milk to the skillet or pan, pour in the macaroni, stir over a low heat until softened

then remove from the heat.

3. Add the cheddar cheese, mozzarella, cream cheese, 28g (half) of the butter, Dijon mustard,

salt and nutmeg to the cooked macaroni mixture and stir in thoroughly.

4. Add the cubed SPAM® to the cheesy macaroni mix and stir in evenly.

5. Melt the remaining butter and add the panko breadcrumbs, mixing well.

6. Sprinkle the panko breadcrumb and butter mix over the macaroni mixture, then grill under a

high heat until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

7. Garnish with parsley if preferred, serve and enjoy