Fact of the Day: Twinkies!

I've never been a fan of Twinkies. I remember my grandfather offering them to me when I was little. I  usually refused! However, like most food products, they have an interesting history so I thought I'd do some research to share with my readers.

Twinkies were invented in my home state of Illinois in a town called Schiller Park, during the years of the Great Depression. A man by the name of James Alexander Dewar, who was a baker for the Continental Baking Company, had an idea. As a baker, he realized that strawberry shortcake machines sat unused while strawberries were out of season. He decided to come up with a new fruit filled treat that would appeal to the public. He filled a snack cake with banana creme filling and called it the "Twinkie." The date of invention is April 6, 1930, but they were not introduced until 1933. A package of 2 Twinkies could be purchased for a nickel. They were very popular during the Depression due their cheap price. However, during WWII, the filling was forced to change due to rationing. Banana rationing was heavier in Britain but was also prominent in the United States.

Banana rationing at a market

Due to the banana ration, the original creme filling was replaced with a simple but sweet vanilla creme. Although thought to be only temporary, the new filling proved popular with the public and vanilla has remained the favorite Twinkie filling since the switch. Banana was reintroduced but never regained its original popularity. 

During the 1960s Twinkies were a favorite item to include in bomb shelters because they were believed to last forever.

Twinkies were taken off the market on November 19, 2012, but were reintroduced in 2013.

 2 Twinkie ads

Thanks for reading!