A new book, Twinkie, Deconstructed, My Journey to Discover
How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown,
Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats.
written by Steve Ettlinger (Hudson Street Press/Penguin), 2007,
is a fascinating read.
My husband, Abe, took a sandwich lunch to work every day for more
than 20 years. In every paper bag, a Twinkie, Devil Dog, Yodel, or
Drakes Cakes would always be included. In fact, his colleagues
would remark, "If you want to find Abe, he's hiding behind his
lunch bag."
Why are these snack products so popular with adults and children?
Well, they are sweet and they taste good! But, asks the author,
Steve Ettlinger, what about those ingredients? What exactly is:
mono and diglycerides or calcium sulfate or cellulose gum?
This book has been called a "delightful romp through the food processing
industry," by Publishers Weekly and "the latest in a recent boom of food
investigation books," by The Wall Street Journal.
This is a fun book; easy to read; well-written. So, if you want to know
what Twinkies are made of, here are some of the ingredients:
wheat flour, bleach, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, lecithin, eggs,
cellulose gum, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate,
polysorbate 60, calcium sulfate, sorbid acid, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and
Red. No. 40. AND MORE.........too much more to list! All of these
ingredients, he insists, are included to increase the shelf-life of
the snacks.
What ever happened to including an apple, banana, or home-made
cookies into lunch boxes?

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