The first holiday of the summer, Memorial Day, is almost upon us. In honor of all the service men and women who served during World War II, it is an ideal time to serve that all-American war­time staple, Spam. Fur­ther­ more, today marks the an­n­iver­sary of the day Spam received its official trademark. It was 74 years ago that this most loved and most hated meat product of the nation made its de­but.

Now that the famed luncheon meat is en­shrined in the Smith­sonian Institution in its National Museum of American History, Spam has joined Ar­chie Bunker’s tattered lounger, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, crayons from Crayola and Reynolds Wrap aluminum as icons of our culture.

Spam earned its right to become an impor­tant part of Americana. Throughout the world it is viewed as nutritious, inexpensive, tasty and most importantly, a vital element in feeding the hungry masses during World War II. Spam con­tinues to play an essen­tial role in our culture with numerous websites, recipe contests and fes­tivals and the object of war stories and jokes. There is even a catalog of Spam merchandise such as T-shirts, neck­ties and jewelry.

It’s only fitting that Spam shows up at parties since the name originat­ed at a New Year’s Eve party in 1937 when Ken­neth Daigneau, brother of a Hormel Foods vice president, suggested it. There was a contest on to find a memora­ble brand name for its canned meat product, which had the mundane designation of Hormel Spiced Ham.

Many food snobs look down their collective noses at Spam. Not so in Hawaii, where more of the canned meat is con­sumed than any other place in the world. You won’t find the islanders dipping into poi as much as slicing up their favor­ite food, Spam. They consume 4.3 million cans every year; more than four cans for every Hawaiian. Residents of Alaska, Arkansas, Tex­as and Alabama are the heaviest consumers of Spam after Hawaii.

In South Korea, if you want to make a sensa­tional impression, just bring forth a can or two of Spam. Koreans consider a gift of Spam as prized as jewelry or a case of vintage Champagne. Spam’s fame circles the globe from Eng­land to Russia. The English could not have survived without Spam, claimed for­mer Prime Minister Marga­ret Thatcher, who recalled the war years and a Christ­mas holiday when a tin of Spam saved the day!

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