SPAM was destined for strange fame. It had been put on the market in 1937—nearly two years before its earliest twelve-ounce rival—and after two years’ delay for proper testing and for want of the right name. That name was to be taken in vain the world over during the war years as a coverall for the canned meats of a dozen packers, while Hormel—at government request—was turning out two hundred and fifty thousand “K-rations” a day.
