Spam is a great prepper food that is delicious and cost-effective. So, you probably have some spam stored in a cool, dark location, and you’re thinking, ‘Can you eat spam raw?’
If you’re wondering that, you’ve come to the right place.
Yes, you can eat spam raw. By this, I mean you can eat spam directly from the can since it is pre-cooked. The spam inside the can is safe to eat without any prior preparations.
So, in this article, we’ll dive deeper into that whether you should eat spam and much more.
Let’s dive in.
Can You Eat Spam Raw?
Yes, you can eat spam “raw,” so to speak – you cannot buy raw spam because the spam is already pre-cooked when it comes in the cans.
Millions of soldiers during wars have eaten spam straight out of the can safely.
It is properly pasteurized and clean, so you will not get any food poisoning unless you have some sort of allergy to spam, or mixed it in with some other foods.
It does have a strong smell and is greasy if not cooked by you, though, so I recommend you cook it if you want an enjoyable meal, but it isn’t necessary to do so.
This video shows what eating spam tastes like and what the experience is like.
Can You Eat Spam Cold?
Yes, you can eat spam cold. It is safe to do so as Spam is a pre-cooked food product. If you are in a hurry and need something quick for your meal or snack time without much preparation and cooking effort, opening up a can of SPAM might be an ideal solution.
This canned meat was initially designed during World War II times when there wasn’t the luxury of proper refrigeration facilities available post-preparation as we have now.
Therefore, it was pre-cooked beforehand! But nowadays, many people prefer heating their SPAM before consuming it because they believe that doing this imparts more flavor to the dish, making the eating experience better overall!
Don’t worry, though, if you prefer your spam cold. If convenience is what you seek, a can of SPAM offers just that – no need for cooking or heating up! Just open the can and enjoy it as it is, whether added to sandwiches or eaten standalone.
Is Spam Healthy?
Spam isn’t considered healthy, but it will fill your stomach. It contains proteins and minerals like zinc and potassium but also contains many unhealthy products.
Firstly, spam is processed meat. It can cause heart problems and diabetes if eaten in excessive amounts over a long period of time, alongside other problems. In the case of dogs, small amounts of spam can hurt them.
Additionally, spam has sodium nitrate so that it can ward off bacteria and increase the taste at a cost to you. The cost, over the long term, is cancer, tumor formation, and diabetes.
Additionally, spam has a boatload of sodium and fat. This can cause higher blood pressure, obesity, and other consequences if eaten in excess.
So, it’s always good practice to store foods that last for a long time in an SHTF, but storing too much unhealthy food like spam could leave you with a severely shortened lifespan.
Here are some survival foods that I would also recommend you store up.
What is Spam?
Spam is an American brand of canned, cooked pork product. It was first produced in 1937 by Hormel Foods Corporation, a Minnesota-based company. The name Spam is thought to be derived from ‘spiced ham.’ To this day, the recipe that goes into making it remains virtually unchanged.
In its simplest form, Spam contains six ingredients: chopped pork shoulder meat with ham mixed together for consistency and flavor; salt for seasoning; water added during the canning process to create steam, which sterilizes the product inside
the can; sugar to balance out the savory flavor of Spam, and sodium nitrite that helps in the preservation.
The taste has made spam enduringly popular over many decades across different cultures after being introduced internationally due to Hormel’s resourceful export efforts post-WWII era when food shortage was
a global problem. It is a salty, meaty food that’s savory in flavor which can be complemented by reducing its grease level and saltiness through various cooking methods such as frying or grilling.
Today Spam remains an affordable staple on supermarket shelves worldwide with many variations available like Bacon Spam, Hot and spicy Spam, and Garlic spam among others to cater to the diverse taste preferences of people.
Talking about saltiness, did you know salt makes candles burn longer?
Does Spam Go Bad?
Yes, Spam does go bad. Even though it is a canned food that typically has greater longevity compared to other foods due to its preservative process and packaging method — sealed within an air-tight can — even spam will eventually spoil over time.
The shelf-life of unopened cans usually lasts several years, stretching into decades, if they are kept in optimal storage conditions such as cool and dark places without drastic temperature changes, causing the tin material structure to degrade faster than normal rate or harmful microbes sneaking in compromising its integrity from the outside environment
In everyday scenarios where people use their kitchen pantry for storing items like these – maintaining a balanced ambient interior surrounding
temperatures around the year – regular spam can often be usable, remaining safe to eat anywhere from 2-5 years or even go up to a decade too, depending on its manufacturing quality and varying conditions.
Once opened, though, it’s safer to consume Spam within a relatively shorter time frame of approximately one week. After this period, any left-over open-canned Spam must be kept refrigerated in order not to spoil quickly with exposure to air, especially when warm.
Signs Spam Has Gone Bad
Knowing when Spam has gone bad is important for your health. The first sign that something may not be right with the SPAM can usually show up visually, such as bulging out or uneven shape, often indicating the formation of harmful bacteria inside.
On opening a healthy spam can, you would observe pinkish meat color in its characteristic pattern since it gets molded by its round-shape packaging where being tightly shut aids long preservation once canned at the factory level. However, if you notice any unusual discoloration on the pork product — black-green moldy spots to brown-bluish unnatural ones.
Besides visual inspection, another way –
to identify if spam has spoiled it through its smell. Fresh or preserved SPAM usually carries a distinct meaty, slightly salty odor when you open the tin can and extract it out for consumption as a cold cut, which changes drastically once food turns rancid over time, releasing strong, off-putting smells easily noticeable by most average people even with faint levels of ‘bad-food’ scents who get used to storing different types canned foods regularly at home.
Consuming spoilt products like this may result in severe health issues, often leading up to serious bouts lasting a few days minimum, where all sorts of things can happen to you.
Remember, safety is always first! Don’t take unnecessary risks with food that shows signs of spoilage. Staying aware while you’re preparing your meals can help protect yourself and other eaters around from any sort of sickness due to spoiled SPAM leading a healthy life with tasty, good quality foods only!
FAQs
What does raw spam taste like?
Raw Spam has a savory and salty taste with an underlying subtle sweetness. Its texture is dense, similar to cold ham or sausage, but more processed.
Despite being safe to eat raw directly from the can due to its pre-cooked nature during the production phase — Heating brings out the flavor – enhancing the meaty accent much better and making consumption enjoyable!
How cooked does spam have to be?
Spam does not need to be cooked as it is already pre-cooked in the production process. Many prefer heating it up for added flavor and better texture, so sautéing Spam slices on medium heat until they turn golden brown or crisped-up edges suit well generally takes around 2-3 minutes for each side.
Final Words
So, can you eat spam raw? You can eat spam “raw” – by which I mean directly from the can without any serious short-term repercussions.
Now, this does not hold true if the spam has gone bad, you are allergic to it, or you have eaten some other food that doesn’t go well with spam.
Hopefully, you can enjoy a moderate amount of spam, and be sure to stack up on prepper foods!
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