Foodies are reeling after finding out the real reason why beloved biscuit Wagon Wheels got its name.
Wagon Wheels, invented in the 1940s by William Peschardt (who then sold the patent to Gary Weston) are comprised of two biscuits with a jam and marshmallow filling, covered in milk chocolate.
They were originally marketed as ‘Weston Wagon Wheels’, referring to the biscuit’s circular shape while nodding to patent owner Gary Weston.
The name was inspired by Wild West cowboy movies that were massively popular at the time, especially if they starred Hollywood legend John Wayne.
Gary, son of British MP Garfield Weston, debuted Wagon Wheels 77 years ago at the Olympia Food Fair, marketing them as the ‘biggest chocolate biscuit bar’ going.
At the time, western movies were all the rage, with Wayne’s film Red River being one of the highest-grossing films of that year.
Weston decided to capitalise on the popularity by naming the new sweet treat Wagon Wheels with a western-style package design.
When they were first sold, Wagon Wheels only contained marshmallow, biscuit and chocolate. The famous jam layer was added much later.
Wagon Wheels, invented in the 1940s by William Peschardt (who then sold the patent to Gary Weston) are comprised of biscuits with a jam and marshmallow filling, covered in chocolate
The name was inspired by Wild West cowboy movies that were massively popular at the time, especially if they starred Hollywood legend John Wayne
They were initially made in a factory in Slough, but production moved to another facility in South Wales in the 1980s and it’s remained there ever since.
Weston’s no longer own Wagon Wheels and they are distributed under Burton’s Foods in the UK, Arnott’s Biscuits in Australia and Dare foods Limited in Canada.
They have become so iconic around the world that Great British Bake Off host Paul Hollywood had contestants try to recreate the snack as a challenge on the Channel 4 competition.
Fans have long debated online the size of Wagon Wheels, claiming the biscuit’s diameter has been shrinking over the years.
‘Wagon wheels were one of the first shrinkflation products I remember being talked about. They have just got smaller again and thinner,’ one man said.
‘They’re just scooter wheels now,’ joked another.
Some suggested that Wagon Wheels only feel smaller to adults now as they are comparing them to their memories eating them as children when their hands were much smaller.
‘Wasn’t sure if they got smaller or I got bigger,’ someone said.
‘Today’s wagon wheels are more like pram wheels. They’re definitely inferior in size and quality. They used to be a real feast, and my memories aren’t coming from childhood. I was an adult, and they were much bigger, with lots of marshmallow,’ one person hit back.
The company denied the allegations with a Burton’s spokesperson releasing a statement.
‘They’ve never got smaller!! EVER – Our hands have just got bigger,’ they said.
Another dispute in Britain is whether a Wagon Wheel is considered a biscuit, a cake or a chocolate bar.
On Tesco’s website, it says Wagon Wheels are a ‘biscuit filled with mallow and covered in chocolate-flavoured coating.’
The product is also made up of 24 per cent chocolate coating and 22 per cent marshmallow.
Burton’s Biscuit Co describes Wagon Wheels as ‘the maverick of the biscuit world with an epic sense of adventure,’ clearly stating that they consider them a biscuit.
One Twitter user even asked her Amazon Alexa whether Wagon Wheels are a biscuit and it said they were
But people on Twitter think otherwise, as the snack is at the centre of a fierce debate.
One user wrote: ‘A Wagon Wheel is not a biscuit – idiot’
Another penned: ‘I’ve just found out that a “wagon wheel” is actually a biscuit… my life will never be the same.’
The debates have not dampened Brits’ love for the classic treat as more than 125million Wagon Wheels are sold in the UK every year.
A third said: ‘I will not accept that a wagon wheel is a biscuit until Queen Mary says it herself.’
One person wrote that they even asked their Amazon Alexa device whether a Wagon Wheel was a biscuit.
She penned: ‘I asked Alexa is a wagon wheel a biscuit & she said yes.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .