Oreo

Oreo(/ˈɔːrioʊ/; stylized in all caps) is a brand ofsandwich cookieconsisting of two cocoa biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweetfondantfilling. It was introduced byNabiscoon March 6, 1912,and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers, and splits, both Nabisco and the Oreo brand have been owned byMondelez Internationalsince 2012.Oreo cookies are available in over one hundred countries.Many varieties of Oreo cookies have been produced, and limited-edition runs have become popular in the 21st century.
Oreos are an imitation of theHydroxchocolate cream-centered cookie introduced in 1908, but it outstripped Hydrox in popularity so largely that many believe Hydrox is an imitation of Oreo. Oreo has been the highest-selling cookie brand in the world since 2014.
The origin of the name "Oreo" is obscure, but there are many hypotheses, including derivations from the French wordor, meaning "gold" (the original tin was gold-colored); the Greek wordὄρος(oros), meaning "mountain" (the cookie was originally conceived to be dome-shaped); or theGreekwordωραίο(oreo) meaning "nice" or "attractive".Others believe that the cookie was named Oreo simply because the name was short and easy to pronounce.Another theory, proposed by the food writerStella Parks, is that the name derives from the GreekOreodaphne, a genus of thelaurelfamily, originating from the Greek words 'oreo' (ωραίο) meaning 'beautiful' and 'daphne' (δάφνη) referring to the laurel. She observes that the original design of the Oreo includes a laurel wreath, and the names of several of Nabisco's cookies at the time of the original Oreo had botanical derivations, includingAvena,Lotus, and Helicon (fromHeliconia).
The "Oreo Biscuit" was first developed and produced by the National Biscuit Company (today known asNabisco) in 1912at itsChelsea,New York Cityfactory in the present-dayChelsea Marketcomplex, located onNinth Avenuebetween 15th and 16th Streets.In 2002, this same block ofNinth Avenuewas ceremoniously named as "Oreo Way".The name Oreo was trademarked on March 14, 1912.It was launched as an imitation of the originalHydroxcookie manufactured bySunshinecompany, which was introduced in 1908.
The original design on the face of the Oreo featured a wreath around the edge of the cookie and the name "OREO" in the center.In the United States, they were sold for$0.25(equivalent to $7.89 in 2023) a pound (454 g) in novelty metal canisters with clear glass tops. The first Oreo was sold on March 6, 1912, to a grocer inHoboken, New Jersey.
The Oreo Biscuit was renamed in 1921 to "Oreo Sandwich";in 1948, the name was changed to "Oreo Crème Sandwich"; and in 1974 it became the "Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie",the name that has remained to this day. A new design for the face of the cookie was launched in 1924;the modern-day Oreo design was developed in 1952 by William A. Turnier,incorporating the Nabisco logo. In 1920, a second lemon crème-filled variety of the Oreo was introduced, as an alternative to the white crème-filled variety, but this was discontinued in 1924and the original flavor was the only version available for the next several decades.
The modern Oreo cookie filling was developed by Nabisco's principalfood scientist,Sam Porcello,who retired from Nabisco in 1993.Porcello held five patents directly related to his work on the Oreo;he also created a range of Oreo cookies that were covered indark chocolateandwhite chocolate.In the early 1990s, health concerns prompted Nabisco to replace thelardin the crème filling withpartially hydrogenated vegetable oil.This also made it possible for the bakery to become kosher-certified, a lengthy and expensive process for Nabisco.Similarly, Oreo cookies are popular with people that have certain dietary restrictions, such asvegans, as the crème filling does not use any animal products.However, there is still a risk of cross-contamination from other dairy-containing products made in the same production areas; in the FAQ section of the Oreo website, on the question of whether Oreo cookies are suitable for vegans, the response is "Many Oreo products are suitable for vegans but may include cross-contaminants of milk, so please check allergen advice."
In January 2006, Nabisco and its parent (at the time) Kraft Foods eliminated thetrans fatin the Oreo cookie and replaced it with non-hydrogenated vegetable oilas one of the main ingredients for Oreo cookies in general.
In June 2012, Oreo posted an advertisement displaying an Oreo cookie with rainbow-colored crème to celebrateLGBT Pride month;the cookie itself was fictional and was not being manufactured or made available for sale. The advertisement prompted some negative comments fromconservatives, but Kraft stood by their promotion, stating that "Kraft Foods has a proud history of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness. We feel the Oreo ad is a fun reflection of our values."This was followed during 2012 by a series of adverts commemorating other holidays and events, including a blue, white, and red crème Oreo to honorBastille Day, a stream of cookie crumbs marking the appearance of theDelta Aquariidsmeteor shower, and a cookie with a jagged bite taken out of it to promoteShark WeekonDiscovery Channel.
When the power went out duringSuper Bowl XLVIIin 2013, the Oreo marketing team tweeted "you can still dunk in the dark" from its social media command center; this was retweeted almost 15,000 times and increased Oreo's count of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram followers.One commentator remarked that this "solidified the viability and necessity of real-time marketing".
According to an April 2022 research report published in the journalPhysics of Fluids, it was proven impossible to split the cream filling of an Oreo cookie down the middle. The filling always adheres to one side of the wafer, no matter how quickly the cookie is twisted.
Oreo cookies are distributed worldwide through a variety of sales and marketing channels. As their popularity continues to grow, so too does the amount of distribution that comes with it. According to theKraft Foodscompany, the Oreo is the "World's Best Selling Cookie".In March 2012,Timemagazine reported that Oreo cookies were available in more than 100 countries. Overall, it is estimated that since the Oreo cookie's inception in 1912, over 450 billion Oreos have been produced worldwide.
Oreos were first introduced into Britain through the supermarket chainSainsbury's. For several years, this was the only supermarket chain in the UK to stock the Oreo until May 2008, when Kraft decided to fully launch the Oreo across the whole of the UK. Its packaging was redesigned into the more familiar British tube design, accompanied by a£4.5M television advertising campaign based around the "twist, lick,dunk" catchphrase.In a 2020 national poll the Oreo was ranked the 16th most popular biscuit in the UK, withMcVitie'schocolate digestivetopping the list.
In the UK, Kraft partnered withMcDonald'sto introduce the OreoMcFlurry(which was already on sale in several other countries, including the US) into McDonald's locations across the country during its annualGreat Tastes of Americapromotions; in October 2015, the Oreo McFlurry then became a permanent menu item at McDonald's in the UK. An Oreo-flavored "Krushem" drink was also on sale inKFCstores across Britain.
The ingredients of the British Oreo (as listed on the UK Oreo website) are slightly different from those of the US Oreo. Unlike the US version, the British Oreo originally containedwhey powder, which was not suitable for people withlactose intolerance. Additionally, as the whey powder was sourced from cheese made withcalf rennet, the British version was also unsuitable forvegetarians.On December 6, 2011, Kraft announced that production of Oreo was to start in the UK with their Cadbury Trebor Bassett factory inSheffield, South Yorkshire, being selected to manufacture Oreo in Britain for the first time. Production began there in May 2013.
Oreo cookies were introduced onto the Indian market byCadbury Indiain 2011.In Pakistan, Oreo is manufactured and sold by Continental Biscuits Limited under theLUbrand.In Japan, Oreo and other Nabisco products were produced byYamazaki Bakinguntil Mondelez terminated their licensing deal in favor of moving production to China.A year later, Yamazaki introduced their version of Oreo called "Noir", which is produced at the former Oreo factory inIbaraki Prefecture.
Most of the Oreo production was once carried out at theHershey'sfactory inHershey, Pennsylvania.By 2017, more than 40 billion Oreo cookies were being produced annually in 18 countries around the world.Oreo cookies for theAsianmarkets are manufactured in India,Indonesia, Bahrain, and China.Oreo cookies for theEuropeanmarket are made inSpainand at the Cadbury factory in the UK;they are made inRussia(Mondelēz Rus) for consumers in severalCIS countries;and those sold inAustraliaare manufactured in Indonesia, China or Bahrain, depending on the flavor. The version produced in Canada (sold under the Christie's brand) includedcoconut oilbut as of 2023, the ingredient list included vegetable oil and modified palm oil, similar to the American cookies.Manufacture of Oreo biscuits began inPakistanin early 2014, in collaboration with Mondelez International of the United States and Continental Biscuits Limited (CBL) of Pakistan, at the CBL production plant inSukkur.
In 2015, Mondelez announced its decision to close some of its American factories andmove productiontoMexico, prompting theOreo boycott.In 2016, after production had started in Mexico, theAFL–CIOencouraged the boycott and published consumer guidance to help identify which Mondelez products were made in Mexico.
The ingredients of Oreo cookies have remained largely unchanged from the original, although numerous alternative varieties and flavors have emerged over time. Oreo cookies were made with lard until the mid-1990s, when Nabisco swapped the animal fat with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Then in the mid-2000s Nabisco eliminated the partially hydrogenated oil from the ingredients, due to growing health concerns.The classic Oreo cookie is made using eleven main ingredients:
In addition to their traditional design of two chocolate wafers separated by a crème filling, Oreo cookies have been produced in a multitude of different varieties since they were first introduced. This list is only a guide to some of the more notable and popular types; not all are available in every country. The main varieties in the United States are:
Special editionDouble Stuf Oreocookies are produced during springtime, and aroundHalloweenandChristmas. These have colored frosting reflecting the current holiday: blue or yellow for springtime; orange for Halloween; and red or green for the Christmas holiday. One side of each seasonal cookie is stamped with an appropriate design; the spring cookies feature flowers, butterflies, etc., while the Halloween editions feature a jack o'lantern, ghost, cat, flock of bats, or broom-riding witch. The 2017Halloween Oreobroke with this tradition, having orange-colored crème filling (albeit with classic vanilla flavor) but carrying no seasonal designs.
In some countries, Oreos come in a variety of flavors that are not familiar to the U.S. market. For example,Green Tea Oreosare only available in China and Japan, whileLemon Ice Oreoswere only ever introduced in Japan orBlueberry Ice Creamavailable in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Additionally, there arealfajorOreo cookies available in Argentina, composed of three Oreo cookies with vanilla filling between each, and covered in chocolate.
Beginning in the early 2010s, Nabisco began releasinglimited editionruns of cookies with more exotic flavors. These typically appear in stores for a short period only, before being discontinued, although some varieties have since resurfaced, for example: Reese's Oreos returned for a second limited run after they were first introduced for a limited period in 2014; and Birthday Cake Oreos, originally introduced in 2012, have since become permanently available.Some limited editions are only made available at certain retailers.
Limited-edition runs usually feature a crème filling that has been flavored to replicate the taste of a specific fruit or dessert, from familiar flavors such aslemonormint, to the more specific and unusual flavors ofblueberry pieorred velvet cake. They may also incorporate different varieties of cookie wafer, for example Cinnamon-Bun Oreos featuredcinnamon-flavored wafers and "frosting-flavored crème". In recent years, some limited editions have paired Oreos with other recognizableconfectionerybrands, includingReese's,Swedish Fish, andPeeps.
Oreo's six-person team in charge of special flavors is extremely secretive; the company will not disclose even the group's name. The limited-edition flavors largely serve as advertising for Oreo's regular varieties.
When the lights went out duringSuper Bowl XLVIIin 2013, Oreo immediately parodied the event on social media with a "You Can Still Dunk in the Dark" post. The post earned 15,000 retweets and 20,000 Facebook likes in an hour.
Oreo Daily was a social media campaign celebrating Oreo's 100th birthday. Every day, from June 25 to October 2, Oreo posted ads of their cookies transformed into something new to celebrate national holidays, pop culture milestone, and key moments in American history. Using reinvented Oreo cookies, ads in the campaign honored theMars roverlanding,Elvisweek, the invention ofPac-Man, and the release ofThe Dark Knightin theaters.
In 2017, NBA playerShaquille O'Nealstarred in an Oreo commercial to promote their #OreoDunkSweepstakes. In the ad, O'Neal can be seen performing an acrobatic slam dunk of an Oreo cookie into a glass of milk. Fans could show off their own dunking abilities for the chance to win prizes.
In October 2020,Nabiscoannounced on social media that it had created a small concrete bunker inSvalbard, Norway to preserve the Oreo recipe in the event that the2018 VP1asteroid impacted the Earth on November 2 or 3, 2020.
Oreo cookies, due to their almost-black cookies and white filling, have often been used in popular culture as a metaphor for relations betweenAfrican AmericansandWhite Americans.
The term "Oreo" has occasionally been used as aracial sluraimed at a person of mixed-race orAfrican-Americanheritage who is accused of trying toact white.The insult may be levied as an accusation that the person perpetuates the "un-level playing field for blacks", and is based on the implication that the person is like the cookie, "black on the outside and white on the inside".For example, the protagonist of the 1974 novel,Oreo, was nicknamed Oreo because of a mixedJewish-Americanand African-American heritage.Former American presidentBarack Obama, due to his biracial heritage, has been compared to an Oreo by political pundits and television personalities such asJohn McLaughlinandRush Limbaugh.
In 2021, the chair of theLamar CountyDemocrats, Gary O'Connor, compared South Carolina SenatorTim Scott, the only African-AmericanRepublicanin theUnited States Senate, to an Oreo after Scott gave the Republican response toJoe Biden's joint address to Congress. Amid fierce criticism, O'Connor apologized for his remarks and offered his resignation,but the Lamar County Democrats chose not to accept his resignation and O'Connor wrote a public letter of apology for his remarks.
In the 1976 movie,A Star Is Born,Barbra Streisand's character Esther Hoffman is the white central member of The Oreos, a three-girl singing group, between black actressesVenetta FieldsandClydie King.