The US State That Eats The Most Spam

Ah, Spam, that polarizing meat in a can. Considered a weird mystery meat by some (although it's actually made from only six ingredients: pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrate), it's well loved by others — it's certainly popular enough that more than 9 billion cans of Spam have been sold worldwide since it was first introduced by Hormel Foods in 1937, with 12.8 cans of Spam eaten every second. 

Popular in Southeast Asia, where cans are considered a luxury gift, Spam is also popular in certain parts of the U.S. Austin, Minnesota, where Hormel Foods is based, is called Spamtown USA and even has an entire museum dedicated to Spam. However, Minnesota is not the U.S. state that eats the most Spam; that honor belongs to Hawaii, where 7 million cans of Spam are consumed every year, according to the Spam website, which translates to around 5 cans of Spam per person per year.

Spam was first introduced to Hawaii during World War II as a means to feed the U.S. soldiers who were stationed there. Since then, its popularity in Hawaii has grown: it's relatively cheap, has a long shelf life, is easy to cook, filling, and is a versatile product that can be enjoyed in many different ways — ideal for isolated islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

And anyone who's ever been to Hawaii will not be surprised at Spam's continued popularity, as it can be found virtually everywhere. It's a key ingredient of Spam musubi — considered the most iconic snack of Hawaii. Spam musubi was developed by Japanese American Barbara Funamura and features a slice of fried Spam over rice, wrapped with nori seaweed. 7-Eleven sells around 14,000 Spam musubis a day. Other popular dishes that incorporate Spam include the Hawaiian noodle dish saimin, as well as Spam fried rice, Spam and eggs, Spam loco moco, and Spam fried wontons. In Hawaii, you can enjoy Spam for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and everywhere from McDonald's breakfast to high-end restaurants. And for a celebration of all things Spam, there are also Spam festivals in Hawaii, including the popular and top-rated annual Spam Fest in Waikiki.