Fun facts about snack foods

1. Sometimes a good helping of a crispy, crunchy, sweet or salty snack is just what we need to remedy a bad mood or a tough day. Ever wondered why doughnuts have holes? One theory suggests it may have been to help the pastries cook more evenly. According to food lore, American sailor Hansen Gregory created the doughnut's modern shape around 1847 while at sea; by his account, doughnuts of the time were twisted or diamond-shaped and often cooked faster on the outsides than in the centers. Removing the dense middles helped create uniformly cooked treats that fried quickly and didn't absorb as much oil. Have you ever eaten doughnuts?

2. The spongy, cream-filled cakes we call Twinkies were first created in 1930 in an attempt to put unused bakery pans back into production. Creator James Dewar was a manager at the Continental Baking Company outside Chicago, where he noticed the factory's strawberry shortcake-making equipment sat idle once strawberry season ended. Dewar used the pans to bake small cakes injected with cream fillings, naming his invention Twinkies after seeing a billboard for Twinkle Toe Shoes. Before this survey, do you know that Twinkies got their name from a shoes advertisement?

3. In the midst of World War II, the U.S. War Production Board was tasked with making the most of limited materials for the war effort, pausing manufacturing of noncritical foods and items. One of the items on the chopping block: potato chips. The snack was initially considered "nonessential," a move that would stop factories from producing potato chips until the war ended. However, chip manufacturers lobbied to rescind the ruling and even secured contracts to produce chips for troops overseas. Are you aware that potato chips almost would not be produced during WW II if it had not been for the work of lobbyists?

4. The first toaster pastries, called Country Squares hit grocery store shelves in 1963, created by Post Cereals. Kellogg Company released its own version six months later, called the Fruit Scone. After further development, Kellogg changed the name to Pop-Tarts (a play on the Pop Art movement of the 50s and '60s), and produced the treats in four flavors: strawberry, blueberry, apple-currant, and brown sugar cinnamon. However, the iconic hard icing didn't top the toaster treats until 1967, four years after the snacks debuted. Have you ever eaten Pop-tarts? Keep in mind, all these snacks are now considered junk foods and unhealthy but they were consumed without any concern in the past.