The origin of the name "Oreo" is a bit clouded. There are several explanations. Oreos were originally packaged in a gold-colored tins so it's possible Oreo comes from the
French word for "gold" which is
or. Others make a connection with the
Greek word for mountain which is actually
oreo. It's said earlier test versions of the cookie resembled little mountains. The final theory is it's a made up word (that just happens to correspond with the Greek word for mountain). The word was constructed a) because it sounds so nice to say b) it comes from the "re" in "cream" which is then sandwiched between two O's. Hence O-re-O.
What few remember is the Oreo was released by
Nabisco in 1912 along with two other cookie lines. Nabisco released a cookie called "Mother Goose". Hoping to capitalize on the enduring success of its
animal crackers,
Mother Goose cookies were stamped into the shapes of characters from the aforementioned
nursery rhyme. The other cookie line it released in 1912 was the Veronese cookie. The Veronese cookie was an ornate crisp. Both failed miserably while the Oreo went on to fame.
Research by Nabisco indicates that half of people eat an Oreo by twisting it apart and licking/scraping the vanilla filling off with their tongue/teeth. The other half eat it correctly.
In 1975, anticipating America's fascination with
super sizing everything, Oreo release the Double Stuf Oreo. Over the years Nabisco has released additional variations including:
- Chocolate Crème Oreos
- Chocolate Crème Mini Oreos
- Reduced Fat Oreos
- Fudge Covered Oreos
- Fudge Mint Covered Oreos
- Double Delight Oreos (peanut butter and chocolate)
- Fudge Menthol Oreos