First of, there's no time a person feels sillier than whether they have to mention the term 'Twinkie.' It can't be considered a far stretch to presume that half exactly why this snack cake is really popular is due to its name, that is, perhaps, the most recognized name for a snack in the world. It is so popular it's been utilized in a plethora of popular culture references, including the movie Zombieland, by which one of the storylines included finding Twinkies to be the main goal. The funny thing is that in a post-apocalyptic world, it wouldn't at all come as a surprise to have people trying to find the main one food that supposedly lasts a lifetime (however this is not true, they'll eventually expire).
Not surprisingly, Twinkies have a long history that includes many quirks, similar to the nature of the snack, itself. From a name inspired by shoes to some filling that few remember, here's all you i never thought you needed to know about the Twinkie.
Named After A Shoe
Originally, the cream-filled sponge cake was designed to go ahead and take name Little Shortcake Fingers. It was at this time that Twinkies (before they were called Twinkies) were being made by the Continental Baking Company, with James Dewar at the helm as the plant manager. For six weeks out of the year, these sponge cakes were actually filled with a strawberry filling; obviously, strawberries aren't in season year-round, which means this left a void in the plant when strawberry-filled cakes were not being made. The solution to this issue was to switch to another type of filling that could be made during the off-peak season, and the answer arrived the flavor 'banana.' Throughout the Great Depression, these snack cakes are what kept the company afloat since their fate was not left up to an out-of-season berry.
However, the banana cream filling also included its challenges as the fruit was rationed during WWII. Therefore, the company once again needed to make changes, most of which led to the name change of Hostess Brands. Ultimately, the filling that stuck would be a simple vanilla flavor which was simple to keep up with in terms of demand and was delicious all the same. Plus, it appealed to those who didn't necessarily enjoy the strong flavor of bananas. So, where did the name 'Twinkie' originate from? The fact is, Dewar had thought of the idea before he considered an actual name – this changed after he passed a billboard for shoes that read 'Twinkle Toe Shoes,' and, thus, the name 'Twinkie' was created from the unusual, and catchy, advertisement.
Twinkie Shelf-Life
Contrary to popular belief, Twinkies will ultimately expire. When they have an unusually long shelf-life for a cake, this doesn't suggest they never go bad or stale. This rumor likely originated from the truth that when Twinkies were first created, they had shelves lifetime of about 26 days. After Hostess went out of business for a short time, they returned, using their Twinkies, and new expiration date – this new date began roughly 45 days following the Twinkie is created and packaged.
Another fun fact: the original shelf-life of the Twinkie was just two days. The new and extended timeline can be related to the preservatives that are now added to snack cakes to keep them fresher for an extended period of time. While a little unnerving, it is good to understand that you've got more than a month on that box of Twinkies within the pantry.
The Inaccurate 'Twinkie Defense'
When Dan White was on trial for that murders of Mayor George Moscone of Bay area and Supervisor Harvey Milk, there was a frenzy within the proven fact that Twinkies (and Coke soda) were responsible for leading to his mental illness, that was explained as stemming from incredibly poor diet. As the media brought those following a case on a wild ride with this particular 'Twinkie Defense,' it actually was determined that Twinkies, specifically, had nothing to use White's mental illness which his defense team never actually claimed it as such.
In reality, the defense spoke of White's 'diminished capacity,' which, consequently, was eaten up by the media after the term 'junk food' was utilized in conjunction. While a psychiatrist in the trial spoke of Twinkies and Coke, specifically, as aiding in worsening the depression that White felt, it had been in no means associated with, or even the cause of, his murderous rage. Unfortunately, this misinformation is what was reported and to this day, it's still considered a legitimate piece of news with Twinkies at the forefront.
