Figgy Pudding Flavored-Spam May Be the Strangest Holiday Food Ever

Jason WilsonUpdated: Nov. 18, 2022

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Courtesy Hormel Foods, LLC/ The SPAM Brand

A mashup of canned meat and a dish out of a Dickens novel has shocked the food world. Meet, Spam Figgy Pudding.

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In what may be the strangest holiday mashup of all time, the makers of Spam just released their limited-edition Spam Figgy Pudding. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove, along with winter flavor profiles like fig and orange flavors, Spam calls it “the perfect addition to sacred family recipes or tasty new traditions.”

Your first question might be: Is Spam Figgy Pudding a real thing? Yes, surprisingly, this collision of American canned meat and a dish seemingly out of a Dickens novel, is very very real. And you can buy it.

Wait…What?

Many of us already know Spam as an ingredient grandma had in her pantry, or part of a “poor man’s hash,” or as a key ingredient of a number of iconic Hawaiian foods. It’s a mishmash of pork, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite. So let’s set the Spam part of this aside for a moment.

What exactly is figgy pudding, you ask? Good question. Most of us certainly know the song lyric from the traditional Christmas carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”—“Oh bring us some figgy pudding.” In fact, we also know that figgy pudding must be so good that the carolers sing, “We won’t go until we get some.”

But how many of us have ever tasted figgy pudding? Not many, according to a survey done by the Spam brand team. They found that 69 percent of consumers had at least heard of figgy pudding, but only 17% had eaten it before.

Figgy pudding is a British dish that dates to the 14th century and was a way to preserve food, with beef and mutton mixed with raisins and prunes, wine, and spices. (Figs have never been an actual ingredient. In olden days, all dried fruit was called figs). Today, the modern figgy pudding typically includes breadcrumbs, eggs, brown sugar, raisins, currants, candied orange peel, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and some sort of booze. “Pudding” for Brits, or steamed pudding, is a sort of cake rather than custard-like dish we know in the U.S.

What Does Spam Figgy Pudding Taste Like?

“This new flavor brings the spirit of the holidays in one can! It honors the traditional recipe, while making it easy and versatile to enjoy,” said Steve Venenga, Spam’s vice president of marketing.

In Eater, Bettina Makalintal writes, “The smell reminded me, optimistically, of a spiced ham, poked with cloves.”

Not everyone is convinced, however. In the Washington Post, writer Emily Heil, said Figgy Pudding Spam tasted like “the product of an unholy, eggnog-fueled tryst between a hot dog and a fruitcake, and I don’t mean that in a good way.” But perhaps you should try it for yourself.

Where Can I Buy Figgy Pudding Spam?

The new seasonal variety is now available while supplies last at SPAM.com, Amazon, and Walmart. Each purchase includes a two-pack of 12-ounce cans at a suggested retail price of $10.

But you’d better be quick. Spam’s last seasonal variety, Spam Pumpkin Spice, sold out in just seven hours during its 2019 launch.

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The 1910s: Grandma's Christmas CakeOne bite of this old-fashioned spice cake will bring back memories. Loaded with raisins and nuts, it tastes extra special drizzled with the rich buttery sauce. —Linda Stemen, Monroeville, Indiana

Figgy Pudding Flavored-Spam May Be the Strangest Holiday Food Ever

A mashup of canned meat and a dish out of a Dickens novel has shocked the food world. Meet, Spam Figgy Pudding.

Wait…What?

What Does Spam Figgy Pudding Taste Like?

Where Can I Buy Figgy Pudding Spam?

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