The Sweet History of the Oreo Cookie | The Sugar Association (2024)

The Sweet History of the Oreo Cookie | The Sugar Association (1)

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By Laura Rutherford, Contributor

March 2023

Today is National Oreo Cookie Day! On this day in 1912, Oreo cookies were first developed and produced by Nabisco in New York City. It’s time to celebrate the iconic crunchy chocolate sandwich cookie with the sweet vanilla cream filling that Americans have enjoyed for over one hundred years.

March 6th is National Oreo Cookie Day! On this day in 1912, Oreo cookies were first developed and produced by Nabisco in New York City. It’s time to celebrate the iconic crunchy chocolate sandwich cookie with the sweet vanilla cream filling that Americans have enjoyed for over one hundred years.

The very first Oreos were sold to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey, named S.C. Thuesen in March of 1912. Nine and a quarter pounds of Oreos cost the store $1.85 and the tin they came in cost an additional 50 cents. The cookies were a hit and an American tradition was born. Today, the cookie can be found in more than 100 countries! On November 21, 2011, the Oreo cookie received the Guinness World record for the world’s biggest selling cookie with total sales in excess of 500 billion since its introduction in 1912.

For decades, people have debated the correct way to eat an Oreo cookie. Some like to twist the cookie in half, lick the frosting and dunk it in a glass of milk, while others like to break their cookie in half before eating. While there’s no wrong way to enjoy your tasty treat, Oreo has been promoting the “twist, link and dunk” method since 1923, when the first advertisem*nt showing “the twist” appeared on trolley cars.

Oreo has also produced many varieties of its popular cookie, as well as themes, special edition and limited-edition runs that have become popular in the 21st century. Special edition cookies have colored frosting and a stamped design in accordance with the current holiday. In 1974, the company introduced the Double Stuf Oreo with twice the filling of the original cookie. In 1992, they rolled out the Oreo Mini and released the Mega Stuf Oreo in 2013.

Oreo cookies are also beloved for their affordability, accessibility, and versatility. Countless dessert recipes from cakes and crusts to ice cream and bars feature the easy-to-use Oreo. There is even a deep-fried Oreo, introduced in 2001 by Charlie Boghosian at the L.A. County Fair. Boghosian dipped Oreos in pancake batter, deep-fried them, drizzled them with chocolate syrup and served them with powdered sugar. Since its debut, the deep-fried Oreo has become a staple at state fairs and carnivals around the country.

The Oreo brand has been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. According to Mondelez, it takes two hours to make and bake one Oreo cookie. The company operates factories in 18 countries around the world that produce 40 billion cookies per year. If stacked together, these cookies would circle the earth five times! No one knows for sure how the Oreo cookie originally got its name, although the brand is a household name now. The street in New York City where Oreo originally debuted was renamed “Oreo Way” to honor where the very first cookie in the very first Nabisco factory was located.

The taste of Oreo cookies is the taste of nostalgia for many Americans and a sweet reminder of childhood. The cookies are also a longstanding tradition in many families, so raise your milk glass and wish the Oreo a happy 111th birthday!

The Sweet History of the Oreo Cookie | The Sugar Association (2)

About the Author

Laura Rutherford graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2004 with a degree in Political Science. She is a shareholder in American Crystal Sugar Company and a member of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association (RRVSGA), the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG), and the American Society of Sugarbeet Technologists. She is on the Board of Directors of the Sugar Industry Biotechnology Council and has published articles for the WABCG, the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association newsletter, and the British Sugarbeet Review magazine in Cambs, United Kingdom.

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FAQs

The Sweet History of the Oreo Cookie | The Sugar Association? ›

The very first Oreos were sold to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey, named S.C. Thuesen in March of 1912. Nine and a quarter pounds of Oreos cost the store $1.85 and the tin they came in cost an additional 50 cents. The cookies were a hit and an American tradition was born.

What is the history behind Oreo? ›

20th century

The "Oreo Biscuit" was first developed and produced by the National Biscuit Company (today known as Nabisco) in 1912 at its Chelsea, New York City factory in the present-day Chelsea Market complex, located on Ninth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.

What does Oreo stand for? ›

The most common version asserts that Oreo derives from or, French for "gold" and supposedly the color of the original packaging. Others say it stands for "orexigenic," a medical term for substances that stimulate the appetite (including cannabis).

What is the story behind the Oreo Brothers? ›

A long time ago, two brothers disliked each other.

Jacob and Joseph Loose ran two competing bakeries in Kansas City, Missouri. Jacob invented the Hydrox cookie. It was a chocolate cookie with vanilla creme filling. Joseph copied his brother and created Oreo, but he struggled to build a successful company.

What was the original name of Oreo? ›

Oreo was created in 1912 as an imitation of Hydrox. Oreo eventually surpassed Hydrox in popularity, which resulted in the Hydrox cookies being perceived by many as an imitation of Oreo, despite the opposite being the case.

Why did Oreo fail in China? ›

The problem, as Warren put it, “was that we were looking for American consumers in China”. The Oreo in China simply focused too much on the global market, and not enough on the local market. It essentially had its name translated into the local language and dropped into China.

Why is Oreo so special? ›

Wondering what makes the cookies so perfect as compared to contemporaries? The answer is- specific cream and cookie ratio. According to a source, the ratio of cookie and cream in Oreo is 71% and 29% respectively.

What does R stand for in Oreo? ›

OREO is a mnemonic. O stands for Opinion; tell how you feel about the topic. R stands for Reasons; tell your readers why you feel this way. E stands for Explanations; give your readers examples of why you feel this way.

What is the best selling cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co. But did you know Oreos are a copycat product?

What was Oreos first slogan? ›

Before the treat became known as"Milk's Favorite Cookie" as of 2004, Oreo tried out quite a few slogans. In 1950, "Oh! Oh! Oreo" became their first slogan and jingle.

What cookie is Oreo a knockoff of? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world today. But few people remember the product that Nabisco blatantly ripped off: Hydrox. A creation of Kansas City's Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, Hydrox was billed as the “aristocrat of cookies,” with a novel combo of chocolate and cream filling.

What is the Oreo mystery? ›

Well, time to take your detective hats off, because after months of suffering guessing, Oreo finally revealed that the creme is churro-flavored (...and the winner was notified).

Why China's falling out of love with the Oreo? ›

Chinese consumers liked the contrast between the bitter cookie and the sugary cream, but, "they said it was a little bit too sweet and a little bit too bitter," Davis explained. It turns out that if you didn't grow up with Oreos and develop an emotional attachment to the cookie, it can be a weird-tasting little thing.

What is the oldest Oreo flavor? ›

Oreo launched the classic chocolate cookie in 1912 to widespread acclaim and quickly became America's favorite chocolate cookie. Then, in the 1920s, Oreo launched its first non-chocolate flavor, the Oreo lemon crème.

What were Oreos called in 1912? ›

When the cookie was first introduced in 1912, it appeared as an Oreo Biscuit, which changed in 1921 to an Oreo Sandwich. There was another name change in 1937 to Oreo Creme Sandwich before the company settled on the name that was decided upon in 1974: Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie.

Why did they name them Oreo? ›

Some speculate that the name is a combination of taking the "re" from "cream" and sandwiching it, just like the cookie, between the two "o"s in "chocolate", making "o-re-o." Still others offer the bare explanation that the cookie was named Oreo because it was short, fun, and easy to pronounce.

How is Oreo so black? ›

Though the confection is described on the package as a “chocolate sandwich cookie” an Oreo is not chocolate colored. It is, in fact, black. That's because while Oreos are indeed made with real cocoa, it has been so alkalized that it is no longer brown.

What does the symbol on the Oreo mean? ›

A circle topped with a two-bar cross is a Nabisco logo that stands for a European symbol of quality. Experts believe the design for the Nabisco symbol arose from the Cross of Lorraine, which was carried by the Knights Templar during the First Crusade in the 11th century.

Why is Oreo blue? ›

Since 1972, the primary color of the Oreo logo has been different shades of blue and white. Blue is a common color used to represent friendliness. An Oreo cookie is easily shareable by twisting the cookie top off and dividing the signature biscuit into two.

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