Photos courtesy of CJ Cheiljedang ()
If you’ve just arrived in South Korea, you may have noticed that SPAM is a big deal in the country.
Yes, we’re talking about the same blue rectangular canned pink meat sold at your grocery that maybe you have had for breakfast with scrambled eggs on the side. In South Korea, SPAM grew in popularity as the Korean War ended and the U.S. military bases rationed out the canned meat to locals.
Today, SPAM is produced in Korea and has a slightly different texture and taste than what you might have tried in the States. The blue can is so popular that you’ll see gift boxes of SPAM on the front shelves of your local grocery stores. SPAM makes a great gift for holidays in Korea.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise then that now restaurants are getting SPAM-certified by CJ CheilJedang, the Korean producer of the canned delight, to assure customers are being served the original.
This move was prompted by an online controversy after a restaurant customer complaint went viral. The customer called into question why a restaurant was using the SPAM name for a fried rice dish when the protein used was not the original. As the debate over use of the SPAM name as a catch-all for all canned meats continued to brew, CJ CheilJedang decided to make a move and create a certification mark to protect the brand from merchant gimmicks.
The SPAM certification mark has already been distributed to over 400 restaurants and online food ordering apps with plans to expand. Now you’ll know you’re getting quality SPAM in your meal when you see the certification mark on the menu!
Though I’m not a big SPAM fan due to its high sodium content, I will admit that it is delicious in fried rice. And I can’t wait until this Chuseok holiday so I can taste test the gift SPAM I’m sure to get against some off-brand version to see if I, too, am a SPAM detective.
