Hostess Twinkies With Banana-Creme Makes A Come Back
June 13, 2007 3:36 p.m. EST
Jacob Cherian - AHN News Writer
New York, NY (AHN) - It's no secret that Americans are big on snacks. And the Hostess Twinkie has been an all-time favorite snack in the U.S. Twinkie lovers are in for a treat, as the sweet sponge cake filled with vanilla cream is going retro with a banana-creme flavor that first made the all-American snack popular more than half a century ago.
The newly flavored or rather originally flavored snack cakes were sold at retail stores last week across the country by Hostess. The newer version Twinkie is just as sweet as the usual vanilla filling, but has a slight aftertaste of banana.
From a historical perspective, Twinkie's flavored with banana creme dates back to pre-World War II years. The Twinkie was developed in the 1930s and in the 1940s banana was the standard flavor used for the filling. A banana shortage during the war led Hostess to switch to vanilla.
Hostess, owned by Kansas City, Missouri firm, Interstate Bakeries Corp., made the banana creme a part of its repertoire of snacks after it was offered for the release of the movie, "King Kong."
"You can still taste the original Twinkie flavor underneath it," said litigation consultant and Twinkie lover, Amanda Reid, 29. "It almost makes it seem like it's a little bit healthier than a regular Twinkie," AP reports.
It may taste healthier but nutrition-wise both the vanilla and banana versions are more or less the same, with each containing a hefty 150 calories. For all its nutritional drawbacks, the Twinkie makes up in taste. Hostess produces over 500 million Twinkie every year and Americans just can't seem to get enough of it.
The popular ladyfinger-shaped sponge cakes were created in the 1930s at a Hostess bakery in Schiller Park, Illinois. The product name was taken from billboard advertising Twinkle Toe Shoes in St.Louis. Since the snack does not use diary products, Twinkies are known to have a shelf life of twenty-five days - twenty-five days is still a long time for baked goods to stay fresh.
During the manufacturing process, the sponge cake side is baked first and cream filling is injected into the Twinkie via three holes through the browned side. According to Hostess' figures, eight million pounds of sugar, seven million pounds of flour, and one million eggs are used to manufacture the 500 million Twinkies it produces.
