Teriyaki Spam and pineapple sandwich – or – how basic knowledge of obscure culture makes lazy cooking easy
After seeing the episode of No Reservations: Anthony Bourdain where the cook-turned travel show host visited Hawaii, experimenting with a sandwich like this was only a matter of time.
Spam: the only part of Hawaiian culture even tackier than their shirts
I know what you’re thinking: Spam? Isn’t there a reason the internet chose “spam” as the new word for junk mail? What you may not know (if you don’t watch No Reservations) is, Spam is apparently rather popular in Hawaii. It was cheap, and readily available during World War II, and has been a part of Hawaiian delicacy ever since.
Cutting to the chase
My wife and I got home after a long day at work, and decided nothing in our fridge appealed to us. We wanted to try something different. Then we noticed the neglected can of Spam in our cupboard. Then we start thinking about half-baked Hawaiian-influenced cuisine, and 15 minutes later, we have teriyaki spam pineapple sandwiches.
It makes sense, in a semi-ignorant sort of way. Teriyaki burgers are Hawaiian. A good teriyaki burger always has pineapple slices. Spam is also popular in Hawaii. Why haven’t we already heard of someone making a teriyaki burger with Spam instead of ground beef?
The (half-baked) nitty-gritty
I’ve already described what we basically did. We cut a few thin slices of Spam, fried it in a pan with teriyaki sauce, and served it in a toasted hamburger bun with pineapple slices. It took less than five minutes. Despite being a little salty, my wife and I agreed it tasted a lot better than it was supposed to.
When it comes to food, I usually want to take pictures before I post, but that didn’t happen. The sandwiches disappeared too quickly.
Evan