JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Instant meat loaves covered in tangy orange marmalade or alien pods waiting to be hatched (with the buttered almond-topped cauliflower hiding the central brain)? *** Unlike other tinned meats previously featured on this site , I have eaten Prem. Growing up, it was the usual Spam knockoff found in the basement cupboard. I never was a great fan of the stuff, with my canned protein tastes running towards flakes of ham or Cordon Bleu/Paris Pate meat spreads. Once I hit my teens, Prem vanished from the dinner table. Source: National Home Monthly , July 1947 - JB

Back in March, I posted a series of ads of meat products with varying degrees of edibility produce by Burns & Co. in the late 1940s. Fine products such as Spork , Speef and tinned fried hamburgers . Turns out I missed at least one ad in the Burns campaign. The potatoes in the hash are finely chopped alright - it's hard to distinguish them from the corned beef or whatever bovine byproduct was tossed in the vat. One can still find versions of franks n' beans in the musical fruit section, but how many claim to have a "delightful oriental-spiced tomato sauce"? My guess? A dash of soy sauce. As for the chile con carne, how spicy is a Spanish smile? If compared to types of pepper, would such a smile rank as bell, jalapeno or Scotch Bonnet? Source : National Home Monthly, July 1948

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present to the public the exciting new fall 1948 Burns tinned meat fall lineup! First the tender goodness of Burns Meat Balls, so special we have the can under wraps until we come up with a design that does these regal treats justice. Housewives note that Burns Meat Balls are the perfect accompaniment to those rice and pea rings pictured in every general purpose cookbook! Second comes Burns Bologna, a space-age wonder that provides versatile convenience. Place it between your favourite bread and vegetables for an elegant sandwich. Cut into long round sticks for Baloney Dogs children will love. Serve with pickles as shown here to make you stand out as a sophisticated host at your next party. You'll need more than two cans - try Burns Bologna in triplicate! Finally, you will be a smiling chef too when you open a can of Burns Pan Fried Hamburgers. It takes a monster pan to provide you with these economic edibles. Why risk food poisoning fr...

Don't say I didn't warn you ... A salad plate consisting of chips, slaw (depending on what was in the dressing - surprised there's no bacon), mayo-topped aspic and Spork...not sure if this strikes the right nutritional note 60 years on. We move on to a scrumptious plate of tinned sausage with "deep fat" mashed potato balls rolled in cornflakes. I guess the "Campfire" name makes sense, in that they wouldn't go rotten during a long sojourn in the wild. Finally, Speef gets to strut its stuff after a fleeting appearance last week. Very odd presentation, like a low-end roast beef given the trimmings usually associated with baked ham (glazed and studded with cloves?). The Burns chef couldn't get pork off their mind. Anyone else think the "sweet potatoes" look like neon-dyed pear halves? Source: National Home Monthly , May 1948

Ever since soldiers on the battlefield and rationers on the homefront were hooked on Spam during World War II, tinned processed meats have provided inspiration for advertising artists, cookbook editors and comedy writers. With their compact shape and long shelf life, Spam and its many imitators offered convenience for harried homes. Kam. Klik. Prem. Treet. Spork. The names cemented tinned meat's comedy potential My eyes popped when I noticed Spork's "companion meat" - Speef! Is it "spiced beef"? Dog food brought up to human standards? Pressure-cooked meat loaf? Trust me folks, this ad is only the tip of the tinned meat iceberg... Links : A guide to Spam and its knockoffs . Also found a site with tons of info about Spam , even if it hasn't been updated since 1996. Source: National Home Monthly , June 1947