Pork by Katharine M. Rogers

Author:Katharine M. Rogers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Spam. This pork shoulder loaf is nicer when fried. Some enthusiasts make it into elaborate dishes.

Spam is a prized meat in Hawaii and has become incorporated into the Japanese-influenced cuisine: not only is it served in ramen noodle soup and bento boxes, but Spam sushi – a roll made of sticky rice placed on a slice of fried Spam and wrapped in seaweed – is a universal take-out snack. In Guam, where American troops were stationed during the Second World War, the annual per capita consumption of Spam is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms). Sam Choy, a prominent chef and restaurateur in Hawaii, proudly invented Pineapple Spam, made by simmering together cubes of Spam and pineapple with soy sauce, sliced ginger and a large amount of brown sugar. Hormel developed recipes, of which the most notable was Spam glazed with brown sugar and studded with cloves like a baked ham. The company also inspired American housewives to create Planked Spam, baked on a plank, garnished with a rim of mashed potatoes, grilled tomato halves and parsley; or Spam ‘N’ Yam Fiesta Loaf, seasoned canned sweet potatoes sandwiched between slices of Spam, garnished with canned peach slices, drizzled with the peach juice spiked with mustard, and baked for 30 minutes. Spam’s website currently displays the prizewinning Torte Rustica Appetizer (thinly sliced Spam layered with cheese, spinach, roasted peppers and Italian seasoning between two sheets of puff pastry) and Spam Fideo (browned Spam cubes mixed with fideo pasta, canned peas and canned corn).

From the beginning, pigs particularly thrived in the southern states of America, where the mild winters made it possible for them to forage outside all year long; and pork has a special place in Southern cooking. Although fresh pork was available only in the winter, pork is good when preserved, and lard keeps better than butter. The best American hams came from the South, particularly from around Smith-field, Virginia. There the local pigs foraged in the woods during the summer, eating nuts and roots, and in the autumn gleaned the harvested peanut fields; finally they were confined and corn-fed until slaughtering time. Although these pigs no longer run free, their hams are still prepared in the traditional way. They are rubbed with salt, nitrate and sometimes sugar or pepper, and stored in a cool, dark area for four weeks. Then they are washed, hung up in a net bag, and aged for anything from six months to years. Hickory or other hardwood smoke may be wafted into the ageing barn. Virginia ham was so valued that an early colonial governor used to send his home-cured hams home to his brother and three other bishops in England, and Queen Victoria placed a standing order for Virginia hams. These hams must be soaked in water overnight, scrubbed to remove their layer of mould, and simmered for about five hours. After cooking, they may be glazed and baked or fried in slices. Red-eye gravy, made by browning a slice of ham with plenty of fat and deglazing the pan with boiling black coffee, may be poured over the meat.

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