People are shocked to find out what SPAM actually stands for, with some admitting they didn’t even know it was an acronyn.
Despite being created by the canning industry pioneer Hormel in 1937, SPAM gained popularity during World War II when the luncheon meat became a great source of nutrition for soldiers serving overseas.
By 1959, Hormel had sold one billion cans of SPAM, and eight billion had been bought overall. Given that SPAM is allegedly created from pork shoulder, a cut of meat that isn’t the first on everyone’s list to buy, that is a fairly remarkable quantity.
However, it is SPAM’s peculiar name and the background behind its origins, rather than its list of ingredients, that make it so intriguing. The Hormel management did not classify it as spam. Oddly enough, a little-known actor is credited with coming up with the word; he supposedly did so before ever actually tasting it.
The SPAM Museum claims that the moniker SPAM was originally just a abbreviation of “spiced ham.” However, Ken Daigneau, who is credited with coming up with the moniker, did so independently of the product itself.
Daigneau, an actor at the time, claimed he chose the name simply because he liked the way it sounded. As luck would have it, he also had a brother who held a position of authority at Hormel. Allegedly, on New Year’s Eve, Daigneau came up with the name for an unreleased product during a brainstorming session, it was there that SPAM was born.
However, the acronym has persisted in confusing people, with some social media users speculating about what the letters may mean.
“On a whim, I purchased canned meat,” one Twitter user wrote, adding: “With the first taste, I understood SPAM was an acronym for Salt Preserves Any Meat.”
A second wrote: “The funny meaning my daughter made up at age 5 is better, it means ‘Smelly Pam.’ 
It will forever be Smelly Pam now in our home.”
While another asked: “What does SPAM stand for? Salty Piece A’ Meat?”
One made the joke, “I often conjectured that ‘Spam’ was an acronym for ‘Spoiled Ham,’” while another Twitter user added, “I just learned that SPAM is an acronym for Sizzle Pork And Mmm.”
However, some didn’t even realised SPAM was an acronym: “I was today years old when I learned that SPAM is an acronym,” another said.
Did you know what SPAM stands for?
