One consequence of being a long-term vegan is I’m relatively uninformed about non-vegan junk food. I’ve always assumed there was some truth to the urban legend that Twinkies have a ridiculously long shelf life—I’d have guessed they stay fresh-tasting for a year or so.
Nope, turns out it’s only about 25 days, which is still a very long time for a baked good—and that 25 day shelf life is only achievable thanks to Twinkies being dairy-free. In fact, it would be a snap for Hostess to make a vegan Twinkie: just remove the small amount of egg product, switch the fat from animal to vegetable, and then make sure the trace ingredients are derived from vegetable sources.
This article on Twinkie history is oddly compelling. Turns out that back in the day, the white filling goop was made from bananas. Switching to an artificial cream dramatically boosted the product’s shelf-life, making it far more viable for national distribution. Link.
