Mid-Century Meals

In this episode, we explore the history of Spam while making Spam Upside Down Pie. This episode also takes a look into why it’s so popular in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Korea.

spampie2 — The original recipe was published in Life Magazine during World War II. The recipe is not only fun to make: it’s also easy to make!

One layer of sliced Spam and one layer of biscuits. Ultimately, I used three canisters of mini-biscuits for this recipe.

Layer number two. Small pieces of Spam are sprinkled between the layers of biscuit.

A third layer of biscuits is added, and it goes into a 425 degree oven.

A little bit over cooked. The recipe calls for it to be baked 45-50 minutes. This is about 35 minutes into baking. I probably should have taken it out of the oven at 30 minutes.

Served with beer cheese and garlicky peas.

References:

Ty Matejowsky. SPAM and Fast-food “Glocalization” in the Philippines. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/155280107780154088

CBS News. As Food Prices Soar, So Do Sales Of Spam. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-food-prices-soar-so-do-sales-of-spam/

Erin DeJesus. A Brief History of Spam, an American Meat Icon http://www.eater.com/2014/7/9/6191681/a-brief-history-of-spam-an-american-meat-icon

Gothamist. Spam is making a comeback at hip NYC restaurants. http://gothamist.com/2014/04/01/spam_brooklyn_hipsters.php

Lucy Williamson. Why is Spam a luxury food in South Korea? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24140705

Rachel Laudan The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage https://www.amazon.com/Food-Paradise-Exploring-Culinary-Heritage/dp/0824817788

Spam Website: http://www.spam.com/

The Hormel Website: http://www.hormelfoods.com/

The SPAM Man. New Yorker Magazine: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1945/08/11/spam-man

Since it’s officially Lent, I thought that I would cook up some tuna casserole. This recipe was originally developed by Minute Rice in the mid-1950s. It appeared in Time Magazine in 1955 and on the back of Minute Rice boxes starting in 1957. I initially found the recipe in Ceil Dyer’s book Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Jars which was published in 1979. While cooking, I talk about the different types of food preservation and the history of canning.