Cans of Spam luncheon meat, specially-designed for the Japanese market, are displayed with other Okinawan specialty products at a souvenir shop in Naha on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on March 5, 2008.
For dozens of years, it looked like Spam would follow the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” route. But 34 years after the first can of Spam was produced, the company decided to spice up its meat, varying its offerings with the release of Hickory Smoke and Cheese flavors.
Today, there are 13 different varieties of Spam — classic, less sodium, lite, hot & spicy, Black Pepper, Jalapeño, spread, singles, singles lite, hickory smoke, bacon, cheese, and roasted turkey. The Jalapeño and Black Pepper selections were introduced for Spam’s 75th anniversary.
In honor of its prominent role in Monty Python’s Spamalot musical, Hormel also released limited-time Golden Honey Grail and Stinky French Garlic varieties in 2005 and 2006 to coincide with the play’s Broadway opening. The brand proved its ability to self-deprecate with the humorous offerings — the garlic-flavored can was adorned with nose-pinching knights and the note: “Actually made in Denmark with Chinese Garlic.”