What popular sandwich cookie was introduced by Nabisco in 1912? The answer is Oreo. Nabisco's predecessor, the National Biscuit Company, developed and produced the cookie at its factory in New York City in 1912.
An Oreo consists of two dark cocoa biscuits with a sweet cream-style filling between them. Its earliest official name was the Oreo Biscuit. The first recorded sale took place on March 6, 1912, to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the Oreo name was trademarked days later.
Oreo was not the first chocolate sandwich cookie. It was launched as an imitation of Hydrox, a similar cookie introduced by Sunshine Biscuits in 1908. Despite that earlier competitor, Oreo eventually became the far more recognizable brand. The cookie's design and name changed slightly over time: it was called Oreo Sandwich in 1921 and Oreo Crème Sandwich in 1948.
Nabisco was later absorbed into larger food companies. Since 2012, Oreo has been part of Mondelez International, though Nabisco remains the brand associated with its production in many markets. Oreos are now sold in more than 100 countries, with regional flavors and limited editions adding to the original sandwich-cookie format.