Here’s How The Twinkie Came From A Strawberry
Twinkies.
The canary yellow sponge cake filled with creme have been around for decades. Have you every once taken a moment, as you bite into its soft buttery shell and sink your teeth into the sugary white center, where this convenient little cake came from?
Let’s take a trip back to the 1930s, in the time of the Great Depression.
In Josh Chetwynd’s book, How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun, we learn that the creation of Twinkies can be attributed to the strawberry.
In 1930, Continental Baking Company baker James Dewar, thought it would be practical to make the most of the machines the factory used to create cream-filled strawberry shortcakes. Because the strawberries were out of season, the machines sat idle for months.
Dewar created a brand-new snack cake with another fruit, the banana, which was more easily accessible throughout the year.
The new item was dubbed the Twinkie, named after a billboard he allegedly saw on a road trip for Twinkle Toe Shoes. Denwar shortened it to make the cake more marketable to children.
During World War II, bananas were pulled from the ingredients due to food rationing. The ingredient was shortly replaced with vanilla, which caused Twinkie sales to skyrocket.
The rest is history.
Now, it’s safe to say that Twinkies have become a cultural food icon synonymous with nachos and the Big Mac. Hostess sells hundreds of millions of cakes per year. Films like Zombieland even focused a major plot point on the delightful little sponge cakes.
There you have it, the story behind the beloved golden sponge cake.
We’ve seen many variations over the years from blue raspberry, Ecto-Cooler, to even the original Banana versions. Though, to be honest, nothing beats the classic vanilla.
