Tocino Spam is the Best Thing Ever
Hormel’s new tocino-flavored Spam pleases local taste buds
By Cara Fasone
Like many Hawaii locals, I love Spam! I always thought the mystery meat was only big in Hawaii, until I moved in with a Filipino family in California and I realized Filipinos love canned goods, too, especially Spam. I guess Spam is an island thing!
Hormel Introduces Tocino Spam
Spam is so big in the Philippines that in 2014
Hormel introduced Tocino Spam. Tocino, which in Spanish means bacon, is
a sweet and salty cured pork. In Filipino cuisine, it is eaten at breakfast,
part of a meal called tosilog, which is tocino served with garlic fried
rice and an over-easy fried egg. Just like Spam, tocino goes perfect with fried,
runny eggs and rice, so creating this new flavor was genius!
Hormel's Tocino Spam
Photo by Cara Fasone
Tocino Spam on the Gram
I first discovered Tocino Spam on Instagram, last year. I asked all my friends traveling to the Philippines to bring me back a few cans, but none of them could find it! I also looked on the Hormel website, but they were sold out. I gave up hope, until just this month, I noticed pictures of Tocino Spam appearing on my feed again.
I checked the Hormel site and Tocino Spam is now available to purchase at www.spam.com for $3.50, but with shipping it is about $5 a can. Broke da mouth, but broke da wallet, too! Luckily, my Hawaii friend, Jane, informed me that Foodland in Hawaii carries the special can of Spam now!
My tocino breakfast at the Filipino Festival in LA
Photo by Cara Fasone
My mom sent me a care package with a few cans and I have to say as a Spam connoisseur, tocino-flavored Spam is the best thing ever. Sorry Lanai, but I was not a fan of the Teriyaki Spam which also hit the market last year. Tocino Spam is the perfect amount of sweet and savory. The texture is softer than the original Spam and when you fry it, it browns quicker because it has a higher sugar content. If you haven’t had tocino before, the flavor is similar to the Chinese sausage, lup cheong.
Tocino Spam and eggs
Photo by Cara Fasone
Nothing beats waking up to smell of frying Spam, this Tocino
Spam adds a new twist to the tosilog Filipino breakfast. Sarap!
Have you tried Tocino Spam, what did you think?
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