National Oreo Cookie Day: This is the story behind the brand and name of one of America’s favorite snacks
For more than 100 years the iconic confectionary has been national favorite, but few know the story behind the name.
Is there a more iconic, more recognisable, and more beloved cookie than the Oreo? The three-layered treat has been around for more than a century and is now sold all around the world but it has its origins in New York.
Every year March 6th is designated as National Oreo Cookie Day, marking the introduction of the iconic biscuit. The Oreo was first sold on March 6, 1912 by the National Biscuit Company from its Chelsea factory in New York City. The first-ever Oreo cookie was reportedly sold to a grocer at a cost of 25c per pound. Initially the biscuits came in novelty metal canisters with clear glass lids.
Over the years the Oreo has been produced by Continental Biscuits Limited, Cadbury, Nabisco and Mondelez International, who still make it to this day. Incredibly, Oreos are initially thought to have been an imitation of another biscuit called the Hydrox chocolate cream-centered cookie, but sales of Oreo outstripped the Hydrox so comprehensively that it actually overtook the original. Since 2014, the Oreo has been the best-selling cookie brand in the world.
What does ‘Oreo’ mean?
Initially launched as the ‘Oreo Biscuit’, it had a number of different names over the years. In 1921 it was changed to the ‘Oreo Sandwich’, and was subsequently updated to the ‘Oreo Creme Sandwich’ in 1948.
The most recent of the changes came in 1974 when it was renamed the ‘Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie’, which is still the name to this day.
The origin of the name ‘Oreo’ is disputed but there are a few working theories. It could be derived from the French word for gold, ‘or’, in reference to the original golden-coloured tin. It may be taken from the Greek 'Oreodaphne', which relates to beautiful or laurel.
Another, simpler explanation is simply that the name was short and easy to pronounce. Whatever the origins, ‘Oreo’ is undoubtedly one of the most successful food brands in the world and more than 60 billion cookies are sold globally every year. In total, it’s thought that around 500 billion have been sold since that first cookie was sold to a grocer back in 1912.
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