In 1937 Hormel created a material called the Space Protective Aluminum Mosaic (S.P.A.M) which was designed to act as a heat shield for the spaceships of the far future. Given that those were decades off, they opted to also produce a food-like version called SPAM™. It 
was and is marketed in small metal tins which you opened with an attached key. Inside would be the actual SPAM surround by a gelatinous substance, giving it the appearance of a mystery organ extracted from a large square animal.
As a kid I would relish a fried SPAM sandwich on toast covered with scrambled eggs, thereby assuring a lifetime supply of sodium, cholesterol and fat. Yum.
Hawaii consumes more SPAM per capita than any other state, likely a holdover from the years following WWII. There was a requirement then to feed a large number of soldiers on an island surround by several thousand miles of ocean, and SPAM has a shelf life of at least 80 years, although the science is still evolving. My own Hawaiian favorite is SPAM Musubi shown here – Spam on rice held together by a plucky band of seaweed. Heat shield or no heat shield, it don’t get no better than that.
whoisfenton 