Most SPAM fans are aware that the brand has traditionally floated ‘holiday special’ variants. But their Holiday 2022 ‘flavour’ tops all previous releases for ‘nutty’! Or is it an elaborate hoax to generate brand awareness in a ‘noisy’ promotional season?
I have so many questions…
… I don’t know where to begin!
First: Why choose a ‘flavour’ concept that matches the holiday it celebrates so perfectly? But it clanks and nose-wrinkles, scoring a mega-stinker-clash on the culinarily-enticing scale?
I speak of none other than the just-announced nostalgia-jarring Figgy Pudding SPAM. It will be available in limited quantities into the Holidays, at just a few selected sources, as long as supplies last.
I’ll admit, I’ve not sampled the stuff – nor do I expect to have the opportunity, given its extreme ‘exclusivity’. But anyone with a healthy imagination should be able to ramble along with me on this…
Second: Figgy Pudding (a steamed pud made of figs, suet (raw beef or mutton fat), eggs, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, spices, dried fruits and brandy) is basically a proto-Christmas Pudding we equate with the Hearty Olde Traditions of England. Modern recipes usually do not call for suet, though. In addition, there are a couple of important constituent flavours not mentioned here that you’ll have to Google for… Why exclude those flavours? Maybe Hormel decided they clashed too much with the SPAM sensory experience…
Third: Why issue a pudding-flavoured SPAM, rather than a recipe that uses SPAM in a pudding recipe?
Fourth: I can see (sort of) the reasoning that SPAM is salty and savoury and umami-rich. Therefeore, it should be a great match for Figgy Pudding, which is also savoury (albeit it with a sweet, fruity flavour complex) and a similarly-high umami profile. But the similarities aren’t sufficient (in my imagination, anyway) to justify the mash-up.
Fifth: No indication from Hormel whether you’re supposed to serve it as a main-course side or a dessert.
Sixth: Following along with number 5, above, do we still douse it with a rich rum Caramel Sauce? Or should we be looking at the sort of sweet-and-sour glaze that some folks love on Glazed Ham?
Seventh: A little voice (with a thick British accent) in the back of my mind is pestering me about using Figgy Pudding SPAM in the festive-feast Turkey Stuffing. What really bothers me is, I can’t quite dismiss this idea out-of-hand. My little British voice is saying, “Come on, love! Be a sport, eh?” Maybe sometime. But not this year…
Eighth: My BS detector is also lit up to ‘Sniff-Con 3′ level over the possibility that this is some kind of seasonal prank by Hormel. However, I’ve not seen that possibility enunciated, yet, by anybody but me…
Not since the SPAM and Pineapple Pizza have I heard of such a far-out concept. But the pizza at least leveraged the proven appeal of SPAM with sweet and spicy dishes. On the other hand, SPAM is a runaway Hawaiian favourite, that relies more on the Islanders’ mad crush on the steamed, canned, salty pig stuff that is not matched by that of any other known culture.
Anyway…
I’ve given you a head’s up on this new and crazy SPAM product, and enough of a grounding on which to base your own voyage of discovery. I’d be really interested to hear what you have to say about it – especially if you get to taste it!
~ Maggie J.