Episode Details

The Oreo, introduced by Nabisco in 1912, was not the first chocolate sandwich cookie. Sunshine Biscuits launched Hydrox four years earlier, yet Oreo won the market so completely that many now assume Hydrox was the copy.

This episode explores theories behind the Oreo name, including Stella Parks' botanical explanation, and how food scientist Sam Porcello shaped the creme. We cover recipe changes from lard to vegetable oil to trans fat-free, MIT research proving the creme will not split evenly, bizarre limited editions, the 2013 Super Bowl blackout tweet, labor disputes, the Svalbard Oreo vault, and the name's co-option into a slur.

• Why Hydrox was named to evoke purity and how Oreo overtook the original
• How switching from lard made Oreos kosher and largely vegan, and why trans fats were removed in 2006
• What MIT fluid dynamics researchers learned about why creme sticks to one wafer
• How strange limited-edition flavors act as earned media that drives sales of classic Oreos
• The real-time You can still dunk in the dark tweet and the 2015 Mondelez production move to Mexico