Twinkies are a cultural snack icon sold in pairs and wrapped in plastic, often targeted by jokes about processed junk foods. The product originated in 1930 when a Continental Baking Company employee sought greater efficiency. The company’s flagship sponge cake had strawberry creme but strawberries were seasonal, leaving equipment idle part of the year; bananas were imported and available year-round, so the first Twinkies used a real banana creme filling. That banana flavor lasted about a decade until World War II supply-chain disruptions caused banana shortages, prompting a switch to vanilla creme that persisted. Banana Twinkies have returned only as brief, limited-time promotions, including a popular 2005 release tied to the King Kong reboot.
At the time, the company's flagship product was very similar to Twinkies, a sponge cake filled with strawberry creme. Strawberries, however, were seasonal, meaning that the equipment used to make this marquee item sat idle for much of the year. Bananas, on the other hand, being an import from tropical climes, were available year-round. And thus the first Twinkies were born, hitting the shelves with a creme filling made with real bananas.
This flavor, however, only lasted around a decade before external factors forced a change. During World War II, supply chains were heavily disrupted, leading to a shortage of bananas. With the signature flavor suddenly in short supply, the company did what it had to do and changed the recipe to a vanilla creme. Customers must not have minded the change, as once the bananas were flowing again, the vanilla creme remained.
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