People are only just discovering what SPAM stands for

SPAM has become a beacon of popular culture in the US, but it is also ingrained in regional cuisines across Asian countries and some parts of Europe.

The product itself, which consists mainly of pork and ham, quickly became a staple in the WW2 Soldier’s diet after it was introduced to the market in 1937.

Its brand name was coined by none other than New York actor, Ken Daigneau, whose brother was an executive at Hormel Foods, the food manufacturer.

As explained by Hormel, he launched a naming contest for the product during a New Year’s Eve party, at which point the actor spat out: “SPAM”.

Daigneau was subsequently awarded $100 for naming the brand, but the true significance of the word has long been kept under wraps.

Confused about its true meaning, a Redditor recently shed light on the matter in an online forum, with the question: “What does the acronym SPAM (meat) mean to you?”

The internet page was quickly flooded with responses, with one person writing: “Should Pork and Meat.”

Another user confidently shared what he believed the acronym stands for, explaining: “Spare Parts of Animal Mealt… At least that’s what us kids called it.”

A third person sharing their take on the mysterious word wrote: “Salted Pork Aggregated Meat.”

According to the brand owners, none of the above suggestions are entirely correct, as SPAM is not an acronym but rather a portmanteau.

In other words, the brand name was made up of a combination of two words, like shopaholic, frenemy, or bromance.

SPAM manufacturers have previously recognised that the question of the meaning of SPAM plagues mankind, writing: “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’. The real answer is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives. And probably Nostradamus.”

Having previously caught wind of the portmanteau theory, one user in the Reddit threat suggested that SPAM combined the words SPice and hAM.

They wrote: “It’s a portmanteau, not an acronym, isn’t it? SPiced hAM.”

Another echoed this theory, writing: “SPICED ham. Originally what it’s called but people came up with dumb names for it: ‘specially preserved army meat’ and ‘American meat’.”