The Old School Canned Spread That Was Once The Star Of Dinner Parties

When it comes to stocking the pantry, there are some regular day-to-day items, and there are some things purchased on a whim to theoretically give it a try someday. There are certainly canned foods that are must-haves and some to avoid in your pantry. But what about deviled ham? You've probably seen it on store shelves, and it's one of the canned foods that were popular 50 years ago, but no one eats anymore. Well, that's not entirely true. Deviled ham may be seen as an old school canned product, but it's still widely available, so there are definitely people still enjoying it.

The history of deviled ham goes back to the William Underwood Company, founded in Boston in 1822. Underwood, a manufacturer of canned and pickled items, began making the meat spread in 1868. While originally from New England, deviled ham is often more associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States.

Just what is deviled ham, exactly? It consists of chopped ham cured with salt, brown sugar, and sodium nitrate and mixed with mustard, turmeric, and other spices. While sold as a "spread," deviled ham has a number of uses. Even if it's just on a whim, deviled ham might just be worth trying. Sure, it has largely gone out of style on our dinner party menus, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for it at your next gathering.

Deviled ham is usually enjoyed straight from the can, served cold directly on crackers, or as a spread onto bread to make a sandwich. If you'd like to fancy it up a bit, you can add chopped celery or other crunchy veggies, or mix it with some mayo to add more creaminess. To make a dip, you can add a little cream cheese and scallions. The saltiness goes beautifully with potato chips or pretzels. You can add a little extra crunch to your deviled ham sandwich, too, with the old- chool childhood trick of adding more potato chips inside your sandwich.

Deviled ham was once enjoyed in the "devildine sandwich," a 1920s mixture of deviled ham, sardines, and hard-boiled eggs. To make it, you should remove the bones from the sardines and mix them into a paste with lemon juice, then add chopped olives, mayonnaise, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. While the addition of sardine paste may seem strange, it's a flavor profile that can blend well, and not too far off from the flavor profile of a regular, albeit exhilarated, egg salad sandwich. Or, think of it as a tuna salad sandwich from a different dimension. Regardless of its old school roots, you might just need to buy some canned deviled ham to give it a try. It's quite possibly in your taste wheelhouse.