What do you feed hungry soldiers? It has to be filling, packed with protein, not too heavy to carry in their backpacks, and—hopefully—tasty.
OH MAN, CANNED HAM
What comes in a can and looks like a pink brick of meat swimming in golden jelly? It’s SPAM! Invented by the Hormel Food Corporation in 1937, Spam (short for SPiced hAM) became popular during World War II. Why? It was cheap and portable and didn’t need refrigeration—all of which made it an ideal food to send into battle with U.S. soldiers.
Enlisted men ate so much Spam during the war—more than 100 million pounds of it—that many of them swore they’d never touch the stuff again. But when the soldiers came home, sales of Spam in supermarkets shot up… and remain high today.
For those of you who think Spam is made from eyeballs, noses, and other unsavory pig parts—stop worrying. The canned delicacy is made from pork shoulder, ham, salt, sugar, and sodium nitrate.
AUSTRALIAN SUPER FOOD
Ever heard of Vegemite? It’s as popular in Australia as peanut butter is in the United States. Except for being thick and pasty, it’s nothing like peanut butter.
That sinking feeling: Crocodiles swallow stones to help them stay submerged under water.
So, what is it? Vegemite is salty, dark brown yeast extract, seasoned with a bit of celery and onions. Sounds gross, but Aussies love it. During World War II, a jar of Vegemite was placed in every Australian soldier’s mess kit. In fact, they ate so much of it that Australia almost ran out of Vegemite and had to ration it.
When the victorious troops returned, Vegemite was hailed as a “war hero.” Even today it’s a source of national pride (and protein). If you’d like to give Vegemite a try, here’s a tip from the Aussies: never eat it right out of the jar. This power spread tastes best on bread with butter and lettuce. Now you’re eatin’ Australian, mate!
PLAIN OR PEANUT?
In 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, a man named Forrest Mars encountered some soldiers who were eating bits of chocolates coated with a hard sugar “shell.” The soldiers explained that the sugar formed a protective seal that kept the chocolate from melting. This gave Mars an idea: He ran home to his kitchen and whipped up his own little sugar-covered chocolates. He packaged them in cardboard tubes and when World War II broke out, he sold them to the U.S. military as a snack that traveled well in any climate. After the war they became available to the public in little brown bags, appearing in “Plain” and “Peanut” varieties. Have you guessed what these candies are yet? M&Ms!
Most popular chocolate candy in the U.S.: M&M’s. Most popular M&M color: brown.