Kelly’s Truffle Luncheon Meat Taste Test: Nice Or Not?

We were naturally sceptical when we got the news about Kelly’s Truffle Pork Ham as we’ve had our fair share of truffle foods doused with dubious, truffle oil that tasted more like petrol. However, “Real Italian Truffle” is confidently stamped on the Truffle Pork Ham’s tin can, and a representative for Kelly’s confirms that, ahem, "real Italian black summer truffles from Tuscany" are used.

The fancy meat joins the Iberico Luncheon Ham — made with Spanish Iberico pork and launched in 2017 — in Kelly’s luxe-yet-humble range. We also sample the Iberico version in this taste test.

We were ready for a potent truffle scent to hit us upon prying open the can, but the aroma was rather subtle. It took a closer whiff to fill our nostrils with a blend of truffle and porky goodness. The colour was also unexpected. It had the pale shade of white meat instead of the pink hue we usually get with processed pork. So you can clearly see the black flakes of truffle that speckle the ham, though it gets brown like regular luncheon meat when cooked.

What better way to enjoy truffle luncheon meat (fyi though it's labelled "pork ham" on the can, this is no different from luncheon meat) than by turning them into fries? As the slices sizzles in the pan, the scent of truffle intensifies — a good sign. After a bite, we can attest that where it doesn’t impress in the scent department, it more than makes up for in taste. The earthy scent and flavour permeates the meat inside out, complementing the savoury, moreish meat. Surprisingly it doesn’t taste like the chemically-pungent truffle oil you’d get with cheaper truffle dishes either.

The Iberico Luncheon ham held its own as well — the meat is succulent and flavourful without being too salty, thanks to the famously fatty Iberico pork used to make it. Next to its truffled counterpart, however, it wasn’t as noticeably far-off from normal luncheon meat.

What we also enjoyed was the texture of the meat in both the truffle and Iberico versions. The mince is ultra-fine so there weren’t any stringy, gristly chunks found in cheaper luncheon meats. It’s juicier as well, probably thanks to the good amount of fat in both hams.

Nice! We inhaled our plate of truffle luncheon meat fries and wanted to sizzle up more to have with instant noodles until we realised we should probably care more about our cholesterol levels. It’s much pricier than regular luncheon meat — in contrast, popular brand Maling’s offerings go for $2.50 a can on Shopee — but the atas ingredients and great quality in this truffle version make it worth the extra dollars. The Iberico pork version is only slightly more expensive than most on the market but tastes better, so it’s also worth grabbing some to level up your fried rice at home.

The Iberico Luncheon Ham can be found at most major supermarkets on and offline, while the Truffle Pork Ham is only available on Shopee until it officially launches in June. We’ve gotten word that the latter has sold out, so if you want to give it a try, preorder it on Shopee, or visit Kelly’s booth at the Expo Food Fair in Singapore Expo from May 31 to June 4, where they’ll be serving up fried truffle ham fries with a truffle cheese dip for sampling.

Photos: Shopee & Gwendolyn Lee