July 10--Spam, Spam, Spam, wonderful Spam.
Famously parodied by British comedy troupe Monty Python, Spam is likely not at the top of the must-eat list for Taste of Chicago visitors this weekend.
But the makers of the enduring canned, precooked ham product are looking to win over new foodie fans during the five-day event with a food truck, free samples and some unique recipes cooked up by celebrity chefs.
Food Network host and longtime Spam fan Sunny Anderson is appearing at the Taste on Friday to whip up coconut Spam spears with spicy pineapple chutney, a recipe she created to take the sometimes maligned meat mashup to new culinary heights.
"When you grew up with Spam, there's a lot of recipes that people slide it into," Anderson said. "It's really delicious."
Other samples at the Taste will include Spam musubi croissants, musubi tacos and Spam fries. Chicago chef Kevin Hickey will be with the Spam truck Sunday afternoon to demo his own recipe -- a Spam and jack cheese sandwich.
Chicago is the last stop of a national tour for the Spam truck, which spanned 12 cities over three months. While it was the first-ever road trip for the truck, the venerable Hormel product is certainly well traveled.
It was introduced in 1937, and more than 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped overseas during World War II to feed Allied troops. That helped Spam become a culinary staple around the world in places like Hawaii, where its popularity has never waned.
Hormel has sold 7 billion cans of Spam worldwide, attesting to its widespread appeal.
Often dismissed as a mystery meat, Spam is made with two cuts of pork, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite. Contrary to popular belief, it does not have an eternal shelf life -- there is an actual "best by" date stamped on the can.
"It's got six ingredients," Anderson said. "There's no mystery what's flavorful about it. It's been around for ages. It's a constant pantry item for people."
Though Monty Python has been singing its praises since a seminal 1970s television skit, Spam still gets a bad name in some quarters. Inspiring the name for unsolicited email probably doesn't help Spam's reputation, but Anderson is suggesting that uninitiated visitors to Grant Park this weekend take a taste.
"I think it's fear of the unknown, and in food, I practice never having that," she said. "If there's something to try, I'm trying it. You put it in front of me and I'm going to eat it."
rchannick@tribpub.com
