Is there a product in America that hasn’t been touched by pumpkin spice?
The ubiquitous autumnal flavor was popularized by Starbucks’ best-selling pumpkin spice latte. Featuring cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, the spice blend has inspired everything from overpriced sweatshirts to pumpkin pie Pringles and “PSL burgers.” You can clean your dishes with spiced pumpkin dish soap, and you can wear pumpkin spice running shoes.
And for seven hours this fall, the pumpkin spice madness ventured into territory nobody could ever have guessed: Spam. Pumpkin spice-flavored Spam was released in late September, but it sold out that same day.
“At this time, we do not have any plans for more Spam Pumpkin Spice products,” a representative from Hormel foods said, “but we’re always keeping our eye on new flavors or varieties that will resonate with our fans.”
Before it sold out forever, employees at HAWAI’I Magazine gave the product a taste test, which seems fitting since Hawaiians have the highest consumption of spam in the United States, eating 7 million cans of it a year. The new flavor didn’t exactly have them exclaiming, “Lovely spam, wonderful spam!” à la Monty Python, but it wasn’t wholly disappointing.
“The meat was still salty and porky, but the combination of spices gave it some warmth and depth — and even a little sweetness,” wrote editor Catherine Toth Fox, concluding, “Don’t knock it till you try it.”
Since the pumpkin spice latte appeared in coffee shops across the U.S. more than 15 years ago, Starbucks has sold 350 million. Demand has grown so much that this year, Starbucks debuted the drink in August, the earliest release of fall’s most recognizable cliché.
Spam, the processed, canned, preservative-laden meat product has likewise enjoyed a devoted following, just for much longer.
Blending Spam with pumpkin spice sounds odd on one level. But ultimately, it combines two things that Americans consume to provide comfort in an ever-changing world.
—by Madeline Fry
