12 Surprising Facts About Oreo You Should Know On National Oreo Cookie Day 2023

The iconic Oreo cookie is celebrating its 111th birthday this week.

The Oreo cookie is a snack loved by all ages and can be enjoyed in various ways, with the most famous being twisting it, licking it and then dunking it into a glass of milk.

In honor of National Oreo Cookie Day 2023 this Monday, here are 12 facts about Oreo that may surprise cookie lovers.

1. The origin of the name "Oreo" remains a mystery

No one actually knows how the name "Oreo" came to be. Snack manufacturer Nabisco has yet to reveal the meaning behind the name, but several theories have surfaced over the years.

Some have speculated that the original packaging of the snack was gold and that Oreo may have come from the French word "or," which means gold in English, according to Insider. Another theory suggested that it was named after a class of appetite stimulants called orexigenics.

2. Each Oreo cookie has 90 ridges

Every Oreo cookie produced contains 90 ridges, 12 flowers, 12 dashes and 12 dots, according to Spoon University.

3. The number of Oreo cookies produced in a year would circle the Earth five times

About 18 countries across the globe produce at least 40 billion cookies per year, according to Mondelēz International. If stacked, these cookies would be able to circle the Earth five times, which has a circumference of 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles).

4. Oreo is "technically vegan"

Whether or not Oreos are vegan-friendly has been a long-standing argument for years. But in 2018, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA, announced that Oreos are indeed vegan as they do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, according to Delish.

The ingredients of the cookie include sugar, unbleached enriched flour, high oleic canola and/or palm and/or canola oil, cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, leavening, cornstarch, salt, soy lecithin, vanillin and chocolate. Although these do indicate that it's vegan-friendly, the company has warned consumers that cross-contamination with dairy products is still possible.

5. More than 500 billion Oreo cookies have been sold so far

In 2020, it was reported that an estimated 500 billion Oreo cookies have been sold since the first Oreo biscuit debuted in 1912. The exact amount of cookies sold so far has yet to be determined.

6. The cookie portion of the Oreo has no assigned color

There has been a debate over whether the cookie portion of the Oreo is black or brown. But Mondelēz, the parent company of Nabisco, revealed that an Oreo actually doesn't have an assigned color.

On the multinational company's frequently asked questions page, it said, "We do not have a color assigned to the cookie portion of an Oreo. Some people think the Oreo is a shade of brown, while others view the color closer to black."

7. About half of all Oreo fans pull the cookies apart before eating

Mondelēz reported that about 50% of Oreo consumers prefer to pull the cookies apart before eating them or dunking them into a glass of their favorite milk. It is presumed that the other half likes to eat the decadent snack stuck together.

8. It takes two hours to make an Oreo

Although those with a severe sweet tooth can gobble up an Oreo cookie in seconds, it actually takes at least 120 minutes, or two hours, just to bake and produce one cookie.

9. The Oreo brand originally launched with two flavors

In 1912, Oreo released two flavors: the original Oreos and a lemon meringue flavor. However, the latter was discontinued in 1920 for being unpopular.

It wasn't until the 2000s that the company began releasing limited edition and holiday-themed flavors every year.

10. More than 123,000 tons of cream are made by Oreo bakeries per year

An Oreo cookie isn't complete without its sweet and delectable stuffing. Oreo bakeries produce more than 123,000 tons of cream to fill their cookies. Each original Oreo cookie is reportedly 29% cream and 71% cookie.

11. Double Stuf Oreos may not actually have "double the stuff"

A 2013 study conducted by a high school class in New York found that a Double Stuf Oreo cookie has about 1.86 times the amount of cream of a regular Oreo, contrary to its manufacturer's claims that it has double the filling.

But Oreo spokesperson Kimberly Fontes debunked the results of the study, saying, "While I'm not familiar with what was done in the classroom setting, I can confirm for you that our recipe for the Oreo Double Stuf cookie has double the stuff, or creme filling when compared with our base, or original Oreo cookie."

12. Oreo has been around for more than a century

The popular cookie has existed for exactly 111 years. It was first produced at the Nabisco factory in New York City on March 6, 1912, per Spoon University.