Spam musubi

Spam musubi

Spam musubi made from Spam and rice
Course Snack
Place of origin United States
Region or state Hawaii
Serving temperature Hot or cold
Main ingredients Spam, rice, nori
Cookbook:Spam musubi  Spam musubi
Close-up view of spam musubi

Spam musubi is a popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii composed of a slice of grilled Spam on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori dried seaweed in the tradition of Japanese omusubi.

Inexpensive and portable, Spam musubi are commonly found near cash registers in convenience stores all over Hawaii.

Preparation

Typical preparation begins with grilling slices of spam, sometimes with a light teriyaki flavor. An acrylic mold (often the shape of a slice of Spam) is then placed over a long, narrow piece of nori and rice is pressed into the mold. The grilled spam is placed over the rice before the mold is removed. The nori is then wrapped over the top and around the musubi. It is served sometimes with soy sauce or Japanese mayonnaise.

Variants

Similar to the Japanese onigiri, variations on the traditional Spam musubi exist.

The following are just a few examples of the limitless variations:

Musubi may also be with hot dog, fried shrimp, chicken teriyaki, chicken katsu, or pork cutlet instead of Spam.

History

Spam became a popular food in Hawaii after World War II. Spam was a main course for the troops during the war, and the large military presence in Hawaii led to Spam's widespread local adoption. Local Japanese created the Spam musubi as a result.

See also

References