Published on 11/21/08
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In 1930, James Dewar, a manager at Hostess Bakery in Schiller Park, concocted the Twinkie. Its original filling was:
a) Strawberry jam
b) Banana cream
c) Whipped cream
d) Chocolate pudding
Scroll down for the answer.
Answer: b. Originally, Hostess produced unfilled “Little Shortbread Fingers” only during the short six-week strawberry season for use in homemade strawberry shortcake recipes. To turn the cakes into a year-round moneymaker that could be enjoyed on their own, Dewar injected them with banana cream, which, due to the fruit’s constant availability, could be made anytime. Hostess switched to the vanilla filling we know today during World War II, when the U.S. experienced a banana shortage. Twinkies have more fans here than in any other market—Chicagoans consume about 27 million a year.