What Was the Original Flavor Filling in a Twinkie?

The original flavor filling in a Twinkie was actually banana, although the sponge snack cake is known for its vanilla cream filling. The Twinkie was invented in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar, a baker who was looking for new ways to use his strawberry shortcake molds when the fruit was out of season. He decided to inject yellow cake with banana flavored cream filling, which could be produced throughout the year. Twinkies were made with banana filling until World War II, when the filling was switched to vanilla due to unavailability of bananas from war rationing. The vanilla flavor was so popular, it remained as the primary filling in the Twinkie even after the war.

More about Twinkies:

• Approximately half a billion Twinkies are produced every year.
• The Twinkie got its name when its creator Dewar was inspired by a billboard for “The Twinkle Toe Shoe Company.”
• Although Twinkies are said to last forever, and were a popular item for bomb shelter food supplies in the 1960s, it has been proven to be a myth—they actually have a shelf life of approximately 25 days.