5 Facts About Oreo Cookies You Should Know

Oreo cookies have been around for over 100 years. They are one of the most iconic and much loved cookies in existence. It is safe to say that at this point in time, it is the only true competitor to the chocolate chip cookie. Oreos are essentially cream filling sandwich between two black wafer cookies – a cookie sandwich if you will.

They were first created in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). They debuted as one part of a “highest class biscuits” trio, which included the Mother Goose Biscuit and the Veronese Biscuit. You probably haven’t heard of the latter two, because they did not survive the great cookie wars of the early 20th century. Only the Oreo was able to make it out of that massacre and survive the test of time. Below are 5 Oreo facts you probably never knew you needed to know:

1. The Tale of 2 Brothers

The Oreo cookie was made by Joseph Loose after a fallout with his brother Jacob Loose. Together, they owned and operated the American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company. Who knows if we would have ever had the Oreo if things had gone differently.

2. Biscuit to sandwich

The Oreo cookie has gone through several different name overhauls overtime. It is a rather peculiar cookie, to the point that people have always been unsure as how to classify it. It was originally named the Oreo Biscuit, then renamed Oreo Sandwich. Later, the name was changed again to Oreo Crème Sandwich, and now it is officially known as the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie (that’s a mouthful).

3. Plural of Oreo is Oreo

The word Oreo is actually a singular tantum noun, meaning it has no separate plural form. You use the singular form to refer to the plural form and distinguish between the two through use of context.

4. The Logic of the name

There is no official documentation declaring where the name “Oreo” comes from. But a popular fan theory is that the word Oreo actually describes the cookie itself. The two “o”s represent the cookie ends, and the “re” represents the cream.

5. Cookie and cream ratio

There is actually a specific cookie and cream ratio that makes an Oreo cookie a legitimate Oreo. It is 71% cookie and 29% cream. This is important for you homemade Oreo enthusiasts.