Spam or Tulip?

[Nords]

The thread on Spam varieties included a mention of Tulip. I remember hearing about Tulip several years ago, and this article made it sound like they were going to take all the Spam customers within a couple of years.

I thought I'd try some Tulip-- where's the best place to buy it?

[scrivener]

I was extremely skeptical about Tulip, but it was on sale one day and OH MY GOSH, it leaves Spam in its dust. Seriously. I still love me some Spam musubi, but honestly, it doesn't hold a candle to Tulip musubi. And with eggs and rice? Forget Spam, if you can get Tulip for the same price or cheaper. Holy cow.

[Pomai]

I haven't tried Tulip yet. I hear it has a slight "bacon" flavor to it. Scriv' made it sound great. Gotta' try it now.

If I were stranded on an island with a container full of SPAM, I'd probably eventually eat all of it.

On the other hand, if that container was full of TREET, I'd likely end up using half of it (or more) as bait for fish. LOL

Have you ever tried that Hormel Luncheon Meat? The one in the long white tin can? Not bad. But it's a little more "mystery meat" like than the others.

I think that's the one S&S and Okahara uses in their ready-to-eat Saimin Bowls (probably because it's cheaper in its bulk form)...

[oggboy]

Never tried that tulip brand, and I just bought 3 can spam! I like treet too cause not as salty as spam. I like that armour brand luncheon meat too! Some ono for breakfast with eggs, also with saimin.
I did see that tulip brand meat in Foodland but never like chance`um. Even spam get choke kind varieties. Next time I go buy tulip brand.

[pzarquon]

I like Tulip. I think there are some applications for which it may be superior to Spam. The 'bacon-y' flavor is surprisingly complementary. The classicist in me will always grab the blue can for spam musubi and saimin, but in dishes where the luncheon meat moves toward centerstage? I can see going with Tulip.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

((frowns))

For $9 each way, I'll try Tulip, if only to force Spam to stop gouging us...

[Random]

Tulip taste good, if you like the salty bacon flavor. Have yet to try Tulip luncheon meat musubi, though.

Still between Tulip and Spam, I'd go for Spam.

Can't stand Treet. Taste more like they injected too much gelatin.

[Pomai]

I found another really good article on this subject from the Star Bulletin here...

Showdown

By eliminating Treet from the voting we can confine this to a Spam-Tulip taste-off. The numbers for Spam-as-favorite go up to lucky 13, Tulip's go up to 10. (This is done by taking the six ballots that went to Treet and awarding their second-best votes to either Spam, 4, or Tulip, 1. There was one tie).

Only thing, when they did this comparison, it sounds like they just fried each one and served it plain, which I guess is the best way to truly get a flavor profile. But that doesn't reflect the product in its most celebrated use: in a musubi!

Looks like I have a new food blog project.

The saga continues. lol

[Kalei99]

Went to the market today (Utah). They have a few varieties of Spam but no Tulip. They don't even have Treet (which I hate) but they did have some generic can called Value Meat. ack! Guess I'll have to pick up some Tulip on my next trip home.
By the way, Spam was on sale for $1.97 a can. How much is it in Hawaii now?

[Random]

By the way, Spam was on sale for $1.97 a can. How much is it in Hawaii now?

Over $2.00 a can if it's not on sale.

[Pomai]

Went to the market today (Utah). They have a few varieties of Spam but no Tulip. They don't even have Treet (which I hate) but they did have some generic can called Value Meat. ack! Guess I'll have to pick up some Tulip on my next trip home.
By the way, Spam was on sale for $1.97 a can. How much is it in Hawaii now?

I was in Foodland Aina Haina yesterday. They had a new "Bacon Flavored" SPAM, which I'm not sure if it's an attempt at competing with Tulip, flavor-wise. Anyone ever try this yet? Anyway, that was on sale for $2.00 a can.

Oddly, this Foodland didn't carry Tulip nor (Armour-Star) Treet. Only a variety of Hormel SPAM products.

My girlfriend was just at the new Kapahulu Safeway this morning (very impressed B-T-W), and she said they didn't have Tulip or Treet either. Only SPAM products, which were $2.89 per can regular price.

So I called Times Kahala. They have Tulip in stock, selling for $1.98/can. Sheesh, gotta' hunt for this stuff nowadays.

[scrivener]

That's odd. I see it all the time, I think at Longs and definitely at Star.

[Pomai]

I finally got to try Tulip, and went as far as doing a scored comparison of each competing brand!

Here's the 3 main competitors...


L-R: TULIP LUNCHEON HASH with REAL BACON (25% LESS SODIUM), SPAM (classic), TREET Virginia Baked Ham Taste


Here's a slice of each brand, sliced, cooked to fried perfection and ready to serve...


Top center - TREET, Left bottom - SPAM, Right bottom - TULIP

Notice the SPAM is wider than the other two. Also notice the TREET is much darker in color tone

and here's each brand in "SPAM MUSUBI" form...


Front to back: SPAM MUSUBI, TULIP MUSUBI, TREET MUSUBI

So how did they compare? Here's the results!*...

Taste comparison in plain, fried form (see second photo)
1 being most to 3 being least

Flavor
Most salty flavor: SPAM - 1, TREET 2, TULIP 3
Most "Porkiest": SPAM - 1, TREET 2, TULIP 3
Most "Mystery Meat" like: TREET 1, TULIP 2, SPAM 3

TEXTURE
Most moist: TREET - 1, SPAM - 2, TULIP - 3
Most fibrous and/or chewy: TULIP - 1, SPAM - 2, TREET - 3

OVERALL PERSONAL FAVORITE
(and this isn't a compound result of the scores above)
SPAM - 1, TULIP 2, TREET - 3

Taste comparison incorporated as a MUSUBI (see third photo)
1 being most to 3 being least

Compliments (enhances)...
the rice: TULIP - 1, SPAM -2, TREET - 3
the nori: SPAM - 1, TULIP - 2, TREET - 3
the teriyaki sauce - TREET -1, TULIP -2, SPAM - 3

OVERALL PERSONAL FAVORITE
(once again, this isn't a compound result of the scores above)
SPAM - 1, TULIP -2, TREET - 3

Comments
Times Supermarket didn't have any regular TULIP in stock on my visit, so I had to go with this 25% LESS SODIUM version here. I'm guessing that probably gave it an unfair disadvantage, but still, at least I got an idea of what the stuff is all about. I must say that Tulip struck me as very DRY, which as you can see in the scores was given a 3, but in reality it was more like 5 in comparison to the others. It certainly was a contender for 1st place in MUSUBI form, but absolutely behind SPAM in and on its own. Some have said the bacon flavor was pronounced, but I didn't really have that impression; probably again a result of this being the lower-sodium version. It WAS the most "ham" like.

TREET was the most "Hot Dog" like in both flavor and texture. It just had that "what is this stuff?" thing going on. I gave it 1st place in the "compliments teriyaki sauce" category, as this one really NEEDED that other element of flavor to make it work, and it DID help it in the Musubi. I actually really liked that TREET Musubi!

As you see, SPAM won both the PLAIN and MUSUBI categories. I may be biased towards SPAM (as probably many of us are) because I grew up with that stuff. Still, I believe even someone who's never tried any of the above would, 9-out-of-10, choose SPAM over the other 2 if given this same taste comparison.

Don't get me wrong. Each one is a formidable product and has their own individual qualities (aside of any drawbacks), and worth the price, if they're on sale (I'd never buy any of this stuff at regular price). I actually enjoyed each one in their own way. But brick-for-brick, wrapped-in-nori-with rice, eggs-with-luncheon-meat-for-breakfast (and perhaps until I get my hands on "regular" TULIP), SPAM is still king!

*These scores reflect my own (humble) opinion, and do not reflect that of any other person.