Packaging for Salaam brand meatballs with barbecue sauce entree: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Packaging for meatballs in barbecue sauce distributed by Salaam International, a division of the Nation of Islam. The packaging is a single piece of thin cardboard that, when folded, forms a rectangular box. Featured on the front is a color photograph of the meal contents on a plate with text printed in yellow and white with blue and red accents. At top left is the Salaam logo and [ENTREE CLASSICS TM] printed diagonally on a blue background. At top right is printed [Meatballs with / Barbecue Sauce / And Rice (In Twin Pouches)]. At bottom left is the text [The world's most / delicious food - / perfectly / preserved." / NO FREEZING / NO REFRIGERATION / NO PRESERVATIVES / HEAT FOR 5 MINUTES]. Along the bottom is [HALAL]. The sides of the box are brown and feature the Salaam logo, Entree Classics trademark and [Meatballs with Barbecue Sauce And Rice (In Twin Pouches)]. The back of the box is yellow and has a color photograph of the ingredients used to make the meal contents along with a list of ingredients and heating instructions. At bottom right is [Salaam's HALAL products conform to all the Islamic dietary laws.]. Along the bottom is [Prepared Exclusively for Salaam by Mid-America Foods, Inc., Chicago, IL 60644].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 1980s
• Subject of: Nation of Islam, American, founded 1930
• Distributed by: Nation of Islam, American, founded 1930
• Manufactured by: Salaam International, American
• Type: packaging
• Medium: ink on cardboard
• Dimensions: H x W: 12 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (32.4 × 24.8 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Cooking and dining
• Topic: Foodways
• Topic: Nation of Islam
• Topic: Religion
• Object number: 2015.27.3
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Nadar Ali and Family
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.