Twinkie

The Twinkie is an American snack cake, marketed as a "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands and is again being sold under the Hostess Brands name. The brand is currently owned by private equity firms Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. Twinkie production in the United States resumed after an absence on American store shelves, becoming available again nationwide on July 15, 2013.[1][2] Twinkies are produced in Canada by Saputo Incorporated's Vachon Inc. (at a bakery in Montreal) which owns the Canadian rights for the product and were still available during the absence in the US market.[3][4] Twinkies are also available in Mexican stores, made by Marinela, a subsidiary of Mexican bread company Bimbo.[5][6]

History

Box of Hostess Twinkies by Saputo Incorporated (in production)

Twinkies were invented in River Forest, Illinois on April 6, 1930, by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Company.[7] Realizing that several machines used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcake sat idle when strawberries were out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled with banana cream, which he dubbed the Twinkie.[8] He said he came up with the name when he saw a billboard in St. Louis for "Twinkle Toe Shoes".[9] During World War II, bananas were rationed and the company was forced to switch to vanilla cream. This change proved popular, and banana-cream Twinkies were not widely re-introduced. The original flavor was occasionally found in limited-time promotions, but the company used vanilla cream for most Twinkies.[10] In 1988, Fruit and Cream Twinkies were introduced with a strawberry filling swirled into the cream. The product was soon dropped.[11] Vanilla's dominance over banana flavoring would be challenged in 2005, following a month-long promotion of the movie King Kong. Hostess saw its Twinkie sales rise 20 percent during the promotion, and in 2007 restored the banana-cream Twinkie to its snack lineup.[12]

Hostess bankruptcy

On May 4, 2012,[13] parent company Hostess filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[9] Twinkie sales for the year ended December 25, 2011, were 36 million packages, down almost 2% from a year earlier.[9] Hostess said customers have migrated to healthier foods.[9] On November 16, 2012 at 7:00am (EST), Hostess officially announced that it "will be winding down operations and has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking permission to close its business and sell its assets, including its iconic brands and facilities. Bakery operations were suspended at all plants.[14]

Box of Hostess Twinkies by Hostess Brands

On November 19, 2012, Hostess and the Bakers Union agreed to mediation, delaying the shutdown for two days. On November 21, 2012, US Bankruptcy judge Robert Drain approved Hostess' request to shutdown, temporarily ending Twinkie production in the United States.[15]

Return of Twinkies to US market

On March 12, 2013, it was reported that Twinkies would return to store shelves in May of that year. Twinkies, along with other famed Hostess Brands, were purchased out of bankruptcy by Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co for $410 million.[16][17] Twinkies returned to US shelves on July 15, 2013.[18]

The new Twinkies, which contrary to popular belief, were made smaller before Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy and not afterwards, now contain 135 calories and have a mass of 38.5 grams; while the original Twinkies contained 150 calories 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.[19]

Ingredients and nutrients

Ingredients

Enriched wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable shortening – containing one or more of the following: partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, beef fat, dextrose, whole eggs, modified corn starch, cellulose gum, whey, leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), salt, cornstarch, corn flour, corn syrup solids, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, dextrin, calcium caseinate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, wheat gluten, calcium sulphate, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, yellow No. 5, red #40.[20]

Twinkie cream gets its slippery sheen from cotton cellulose, which serves the same purpose in rocket fuel.[21]

Nutrients

A single Twinkie weighs 43 g and offers very little nutritional value. Each Twinkie contains:[22]

150 calories

4.5 grams of fat (of which 2.5 grams are saturated fat )

18 grams of sugar - equivalent to 5 tsp of sugar. The recommended daily allowance is just 6 tsp for women and 9 tsp for men. [ 23 ]

20 mg of cholesterol

Deep-fried Twinkie

A deep-fried Twinkie

A deep-fried Twinkie involves freezing the cake, dipping it into batter, and deep-frying it to create a variation on the traditional snack cake. In a story in The New York Times speaking of the Deep Fried Twinkie with its inventor, Christopher Sell, who is originally from Rugby, England, it was described in this way: "Something magical occurs when the pastry hits the hot oil. The creamy white vegetable shortening filling liquefies, impregnating the sponge cake with 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. The pièce de résistance, however, is a ruby-hued berry sauce, adding a tart sophistication to all that airy sugary goodness".[24] The Texas State Fair had introduced the fried Twinkie to great popular acclaim, and the notion spread to other state fairs across the U.S., as well as some establishments that specialize in fried foods.[25] Fried Twinkies are sold throughout the U.S. in fairs as well as ball games, and in various restaurants.

Cultural references

Twinkie defense

The Twinkie defense is a derogatory term for a criminal defendant's claim that some unusual factor (such as allergies, coffee, nicotine, or sugar) diminished the defendant's responsibility for the alleged crime. The term arose from Herb Caen's description of the trial of Dan White, who was convicted in the fatal shootings of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. During the trial, psychiatrist Martin Blinder testified that White had suffered from depression, causing diminished capacity. As an example of this, he mentioned that White, formerly a health food advocate, had begun eating junk food.[8]

Shelf life

A common urban legend claims that Twinkies have an infinite shelf life or can last unspoiled for a relatively long time of ten, fifty, or one hundred years due to the chemicals used in their production.[26] This urban legend is false, although Twinkies can last a relatively long time (25 days or more). In reality, Twinkies are on the shelf for a short time; a company executive told the New York Times in 2000 that the "Twinkie is on the shelf no more than 7 to 10 days."[27] Twinkies' myth of having a long shelf life has been referenced in films and television shows such as Die Hard, WALL-E, Zombieland, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, The Simpsons, Lost and Family Guy.

Twinkie diet

In 2010, Kansas State University professor Mark Haub went on a "convenience store" diet consisting mainly of Twinkies, Oreos, and Doritos 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 over a two month period, returning his body mass index (BMI) to within normal range.[28][29]

See also

Literature