You may love Oreos, whether dunked in milk, crumbled over ice cream, or crumbled into pie crust. Despite the vast ways you’ve learned to enjoy the cream-filled sandwich cookie, have you ever stopped to think about its rich history?
An average of 3 billion consumers buy Oreo packages each year, making Oreo the top-selling cookie of the 20th century. But have any of those billions of people ever noticed that they licked off the creamy white filling from the Knight Templar symbol, dipped the Cross Pattee sign into the glass of milk, or satisfied their hunger with the Nabisco logo?
These fun facts will allow you to see the cookies in a whole new light.
Life is just full of surprises.
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. These knights, along with many other Christian pilgrims, went to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to recapture it from the Turks who were peacefully living there, whom the Knights mercilessly slaughtered upon their arrival to the city. Dark, dark, history; just like Oreo.
The geometric pattern of a dot with four triangles radiating outward is a symbol that once again connects Oreos with the history of the First Crusade. It closely resembles a Cross Pattee, a symbol the Knights Temples adopted by sewing the red or black crosses on their white robes and other pieces of clothing to distinguish themselves from soldiers of other religion.
But while some people do recognize this ancient emblem, most consumers see it as a four-leaf clover, with each leaf emphasizing hope, faith, love, and luck. No wonder why the Oreo company has so much luck selling more than 95 million packages each day.
The circle has many mystical meanings including a circle of life, creation, infinity, power, love, and most importantly, change. So, Oreo is not just a tasty round cookie; it is also a friendly reminder that the power of changing your life is all in your hands.
The origin of the name remains a mystery. Some believe that the cookie’s name came from the French word “gold” (doré) because that was the color of the original Oreo package. Others claim that the name is a combination of taking “re” from “cream” and placing it between the two “o”s in “chocolate,” making “o-re-o.”
You can ponder how the Oreo got its catchy name for a very long time, but it’s much better just to grab a whole package of these delicious cookies, take a cup of warm milk, and enjoy a late night snack you deserve. Enjoy.
The origin of the name “Oreo” is unknown. Although, one Oreo exec says the name mimics the two O-shaped cookies that make the sandwich. Others claim the “re” comes from the “cream.”
Oreos are a total ripoff of Hydrox, the original cream-filled chocolate cookie, which came out in 1908. Oreos weren’t released until 1912.
Double-Stuf are actually 1.86 times more stuffed than regular Oreos. Do you feel slightly cheated?
To date, Oreo has 41.8 million Facebooks followers. In comparison, The New York Times has 10.7 million.
Oreo’s first crazy flavor was Birthday Cake, released in 2012 for its centennial celebration. Since then, the company releases new flavors quarterly, but our favorites will always be cotton candy and marshmallow crispy.
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