Twinkie

TheTwinkieis an Americansnack cake, described on its packaging as "goldensponge cakewith a creamy filling".It was formerly made and distributed byHostess Brands. The brand is currently owned byHostess Brands, Inc., itself currently owned byThe J.M. Smucker Companyand having been formerly owned byprivate equity firmsApollo Global ManagementandC. Dean Metropoulos and Companyas the second incarnation of Hostess Brands.During bankruptcy proceedings, Twinkie production was suspended on November 15, 2012, and resumed after an absence of a few months from American store shelves, becoming available again nationwide on July 15, 2013.
Grupo Bimbo'sVachon Inc., which owns the Canadian rights to the product and made them during their absence from the U.S. market,produces Twinkies in Canada at a bakery in Montreal. They are made inEmporia, Kansas, in the U.S.Twinkies are also available in Mexican stores as "Submarinos" made by Marinela, and as "Tuinky" made by Wonder; both Marinela and Wonder are also subsidiaries of Mexican bread company Grupo Bimbo.In Egypt, Twinkies are produced under the company Edita. Twinkies are also available in the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Hostess brand name where they are sold inSainsburys,Tesco,ASDA, andB&Mstores. Twinkies are produced and distributed by multiple commercial bakeries inChina,whereHostessdoes not own the brand.
Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930, by Canadian-born bakerJames "Jimmy" Alexander Dewarfor theContinental Baking CompanyinSchiller Park, Illinois.Realizing that several machines used for making cream-filled strawberryshortcakessat idle whenstrawberrieswere out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled withbanana cream, which he dubbed the Twinkie.He said he came up with the name when he saw a billboard in St. Louis for "Twinkle Toe Shoes".
DuringWorld War II, bananas were rationed, and the company was forced to switch tovanillacream. This change proved popular, and banana-cream Twinkies were not widely re-introduced. The original flavor was occasionally found in limited time only promotions; the company used vanilla cream for most Twinkies.In 1988, Fruit and Cream Twinkies were introduced with a strawberry filling swirled into the cream. The product was soon dropped.Vanilla's dominance over banana flavoring was challenged in 2005, following a month-long promotion of the movieKing Kong. Hostess saw its Twinkie sales rise 20% during the promotion; in 2007, the company restored the banana-cream Twinkie to its snack lineup although they are now made with 2% banana purée.
In November 2012, as Hostess announced its plan to shut down its operations,Timeranked the Twinkie #1 in its list of 10 "iconic"junk foods, saying that "they've been a staple in our popular culture and, above all, in our hearts. Often criticized for its lack of any nutritional value whatsoever,the Twinkie has managed to persevere as a cultural and gastronomical icon."
On January 11, 2012,parent companyHostessfiled forChapter 11bankruptcy protection.Twinkie sales for the year, as of December 25, 2011, were 36 million packages, down almost 20% from a year earlier.Hostess said customers had migrated to healthier foods.On November 16, 2012, Hostess officially announced that it "will be winding down operations and has filed a motion with theU.S. Bankruptcy Courtseeking permission to close its business and sell its assets, including its iconic brands and facilities." Bakery operations were suspended at all plants.
On November 19, 2012, Hostess and theBakers Unionagreed to mediation, delaying the shutdown for two days. On November 21, 2012, U.S. bankruptcy judgeRobert Drainapproved Hostess' request to shut down, ending Twinkie production in the United States.
On March 18, 2013, it was reported that Twinkies would return to store shelves in May of that year. Twinkies, along with other Hostess Brands, were purchased out of bankruptcy by Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co for $410 million.Twinkies returned to U.S. shelves on July 15, 2013.Apollo subsequently sold Hostess for $2.3 billion.
Before Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy, Twinkies were reduced in size. They now contain 135 kilocalories (560 kJ) and have a mass of 38.5 grams, while the original Twinkies contained 150 kilocalories (630 kJ) and had a mass of 42.5 grams. The new Twinkies also have a longer shelf life of 45 days, which was also a change made before bankruptcy, compared to the 26 days of the original Twinkies.
Twinkies Cereal, made byPost, was introduced in December 2020.
In April 2017, Chocolate Cake Twinkies came on the market.
Deep fryinga Twinkie involves freezing the cake, dipping it intobatter, and deep-frying it.Melissa Clark(who interviewed one of the deep fried Twinkie's claimed inventors — Christopher Sell, originally fromRugby, England), writing inThe New York Times,describes how "Something magical occurs when the pastry hits the hot oil. The creamy white vegetable shortening filling liquefies, impregnating thesponge cakewith its luscious vanilla flavor [...] The cake itself softens and warms, nearly melting, contrasting with the crisp, deep-fried crust in a buttery and suave way. Thepièce de résistance, however, is a ruby-hued berry sauce, adding a tart sophistication to all that airy sugary goodness."
In 2002, Brooklyn restaurateur Clint Mullen introduced the fried Twinkie at severalstateand county fairs to great popular acclaim, and the notion spread to other establishments that specialize in fried foods.Fried Twinkies are sold throughout the U.S. in fairs as well as ball games, and in various restaurants. Starting in August 2016,Walmartbegan selling prepackaged, frozen versions of the deep-fried Twinkie at stores nationwide in the US.
In 1984, the Twinkie became known worldwide in countries that did not sell the confection, due to a reference in the hit filmGhostbusters.In the film, the characterEgon Spenglerdescribes a speculated level of psychokinetic energy and uses a regular-sized Twinkie to represent the normal level of such energy inNew York City. He then says that based on a recent sample, the Twinkie representing New York would be over 35 ft (11 m) long and weigh approximately 600 lb (270 kg), to which the characterWinston Zeddemorereplies, "That's a big Twinkie."
OnChristmas Evein 1988,Al Powell, one of the most iconic characters of the action filmDie Hard, is introduced to the audience as a big Twinkie fan, in a scene where he is seen at a local7-Elevennear the Nakatomi Plaza also known as the2121 Avenue of the Starsor formerly the Fox Plaza buying many Twinkies. When he proceeds to pay, Powell jokingly says to the store clerk  "they're for my wife... she's pregnant" and the clerk sarcastically acknowledges and agrees.
The 1999Family Guyepisode "Da Boom" involves theGriffin familymoving toNatick, Massachusetts, in search of a Twinkie factory following theY2K apocalypse. The factory is shown to have survived completely intact, allowing the Griffins to use it as a food source and a means to rebuild society.
In the 2009 filmZombieland, Twinkies are the favorite snack of the character Tallahassee, who develops an obsession with finding one in the middle of aZombie apocalypse.
"Habits (Stay High)", a 2013 song by Swedish singerTove Lo, mentions Twinkies in the line "I get home, I got the munchies / Binge on all my Twinkies / Throw up in the tub / Then I go to sleep."In an interview, the singer confessed she had thought that "twinkie" was a synonym for "cookie" and that Hostess had sent her a sample of the product after the success of the song.
"Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbablelegal defense. It is not a recognized legal defense injurisprudence, but a catch-all term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendantDan Whiteforthe murdersofSan Franciscocity SupervisorHarvey Milkand MayorGeorge Moscone. White's defense was that he suffereddiminished capacityas a result of his depression. His change in diet from healthful food to Twinkies and other sugary foods was said to be a symptom of depression. Contrary to common belief, White's attorneys did not argue that the Twinkies were the cause of White's actions, but that their consumption was symptomatic of his underlying depression.
A commonurban legendclaims that Twinkies have a theoretically infiniteshelf life, and can last unspoiled for a relatively long time of ten, fifty, or one hundred years due to the chemicals used in their production.
According to a company executive, Twinkies are on the shelf for a short time; he toldThe New York Timesin 2000 that the "Twinkie is on the shelf no more than 7 to 10 days."The maximum shelf life was reported to have been 26 days, until the addition of stronger preservatives made beginning in 2012 increased it to 45 days.A box of Twinkies from shortly before Hostess's bankruptcy in 2012 was opened eight years later; one had completely molded over withcladosporium, another had a small amount of mold, and the creme filling in a third Twinkie had turned brown with the taste of "old sock".
The TV showThe Simpsonsdepicted this claim in its 5th-season episode "Homer and Apu". A customer at theKwik-E-Martscrews up a Twinkie and throws it on the floor in anger. Apu shouts after him, saying he cannot hurt a Twinkie. It then pops back into shape and Apu puts it back on the stand.
It has even been claimed that Twinkies could survive anuclear war.
The 2012 Super Bowl Chevy Silverado Apocalypse commercial also gives a nod to the Twinkie's reputed durability.
In 2010,Kansas State Universityprofessor Mark Haub went on a "convenience store" diet consisting mainlyof a snack of Twinkies,Oreos, orDoritosevery 3 hours in an attempt to demonstrate to his students "...that in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most, not the nutritional value of the food." He lost 27 pounds (12 kg) over a two-month period, returning hisbody mass index(BMI) to within normal range.
In addition to Twinkies, Haub ateLittle Debbiesnack cakes, cereals, cookies, brownies, Doritos, Oreos and other kinds of high calorie, low-nutrition foods that are usually found at convenience stores. However, despite calling it the "Twinkie diet", Haub also consumed 1protein shakeper day and one serving ofcanned green beansor 4celery stalks, along with the Twinkies,Oreos, andDoritos.Besides the protein shake and multivitamin, Haub also ate nutritionally dense whole milk, carrots, and vitamin fortified cereal.This contradicts representations by other media outlets stating that Haub "only" ate junk food.He ate the vegetables at the dinner table in order to set a good example for his children.
It is claimed legendary bodybuilderSergio Olivawould sometimes indulge in eating a box of Twinkies (with a 2 liter bottle ofMountain Dew) after his notoriously strenuous workouts.