Minnesotans may have sampled Spam in more ways than others in the country, given that it comes from Austin, Minn., whether it's tossed into hot dish, deep-fried with cheese at the bar, or cut up into samples at the State Fair Spam-mobile.
But the true motherland for Spam is the Hawaiian Islands, where Spam has worked its way into the state's cooking since World War II, when it was served to members of the military stationed there. This year is the 75th anniversary of the canned meat product, introduced in 1937.
When I visited O'ahu and Kauai this fall, I got a taste of the local cuisine. Think Spam macadamia nuts, with a salty, porky powder coating on the nuts.
Then there was Spam grilled, as a side dish to almost everything. Or wrapped around a pillow of rice with seaweed paper, like sushi, and called musubi. It's sold like hot dogs are on the mainland, in little warmers at the convenience stores for a dollar or two, though there were also small cafes dedicated solely to producing a variety of musubi. President Obama has been spotted eating them on vacations.
Spam is part of breakfast, too, as a substitute to bacon or sausage, whether at Eggs 'N' Things in Waikiki, or at McDonald's, with its Spam and egg plates. It's as common as ordering bacon.
I bought a musubi press at one of the cafes so I could make them at home. The key to preparing the bundles is to have the rice really sticky so it's easier to shape.
The musubi don't keep well in the refrigerator because the rice gets too hard. If you do want to save and reheat them, do so in a warm, but not too hot, oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
