Moon pie

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A moon pie or MoonPie^[1] is a pastry which consists of two round graham cracker cookies, with marshmallow filling in the center, dipped in chocolate or other flavors. The traditional pie is about the diameter of a hockey puck; a smaller version exists (mini MoonPie) that is about half the size. The four main flavors are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and banana. Three newer flavors, lemon, orange, and peanut butter are also available.

Contents 1 History and origin 2 The Moon Pie Song 3 Nutrition facts 4 Similar products 5 Mardi Gras tradition 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History and origin

Marshmallow cream (fluff) began shipping outside of New England in late 1927. By 1929, marshmallow cream had made its way to Chattanooga, TN. During that year, the coal mines near Chattanooga began selling marshmallow cream in their company store. The miners discovered that graham crackers dipped in the marshmallow cream made a great snack. A salesman for the Chattanooga Bakery sold bakery goods on a route to the coal miners. Pretty soon, the only sales that were made by the bakery salesman were for graham crackers. The salesman explained his low sales to M.P. (Mitchell Poe) Shauf, the general foreman and chef for the Chattanooga Bakery. M.P. Shauf decided to make something for the miners to buy. One day in late 1929, after several different recipes, he made a full size pie with graham crackers and marshmallow fluff. That same day, he had his 3 year old grandson, Stanley Shauf with him at the bakery and offered his grandson a pie to taste. The pie had small indentions where the marshmallow cream was cooked and bubbles had popped. His grandson said it looks like the moon. M.P. Shauf yelled “Moon Pie’ so loud that it scared his grandson to tears.

It is uncertain whence the tradition of eating moon pies with RC Cola derived.[2]

Since New Year's eve 2008, the city of Mobile, Alabama raises a 12-foot tall lighted mechanical moon pie to celebrate the coming of the new year. The giant banana colored MoonPie is raised by a crane to a height of 200 feet as the clock strikes midnight.^[3] Also the city had for the 2008 New Year's celebration the world's largest moon pie baked for the occasion. It weighed 55 pounds and contained 45,000 calories.^[4]

[edit] The Moon Pie Song

ABC-TV's Good Morning America featured "The Moon Pie Song" by Charles Ghigna (Father Goose) during its tour of the Chattanooga Bakery Company in 1991.

[edit] Nutrition facts

A MoonPie is made with marshmallow, which is a low-fat but high-sugar food. The nutritional content of a chocolate full-size or Mini MoonPie (from 2004) is detailed below, showing (full-size) 226 calories, ^[5] saturated fat 3.5g, carbohydrate 40g, protein 4g, iron 5%, of a total weight of 57 grams (2 ounces). The nutritional data for a chocolate Mini MoonPie is about 65% the amount of full-size. ^{[6] [7]}

The ingredients are as follows: ^[5] Enriched wheat flour (Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic acid), Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vegetable Shortening (Contains Partially hydrogenated Soybean Oil and/or Cottonseed Oil and/or Coconut Oil and/or Palm kernel oil and/or Palm Oil), Soy Flour, Dutched Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Cocoa, Gelatin, Baking Soda, Lecithin, Salt, Artificial Flavoring, Sodium sulfite.^[5]

Nutrition facts for chocolate MoonPie (full-size): ^[5]

• Serving size 1 (57g or 2 oz)
• Calories: 226 Calories from fat: 51
• Total fat: 5.7g (saturated fat 3.5g) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 188mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 40g (dietary fiber 0g, sugars 12.5g)
• Protein: 4g Vitamin A: 0% Vitamin C: 0% Iron: 5%.^[5]

Nutrition facts for chocolate Mini MoonPie: ^[6]

• Serving size 1 (34g or 1.2 oz)
• Calories: 152 (or 130^[7]) Calories from fat: 40 (or 30)
• Total fat: 4.5g (saturated fat 3g) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 120mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 26g (dietary fiber 0g, sugars 8g)
• Protein: 2.5g.^[6]

Note that the nutrition data is for a chocolate MoonPie or chocolate Mini MoonPie, while other flavors (such as banana, vanilla, strawberry, or orange) might have different nutritional content.

[edit] Similar products

In the northern regions of the United States, a similar product, manufactured by Burry's, was called a "Scooter Pie." Also, compare with Mallomars, a single-cracker marshmallow cookie. In the UK, Australia and Canada there are Wagon Wheels, introduced under the Weston name in the 1940s but since divested to other companies in the UK and Australia.^[8] The Korean company Orion and the Korean conglomerate Lotte produce Choco Pies and in Mexico is a similar cookie pie called Mamut. The Turkish food manufacturer Ülker also makes a similar product called "Halley."^[9]

[edit] Mardi Gras tradition

The Moon Pie became a traditional "throw" (an item thrown from a parade float into the crowd) of Mardi Gras "krewes" (parade participants) in Mobile, Alabama during 1956,^[10][11] followed by other communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but not as much in New Orleans. The westernmost outpost of the Moon Pie as an important Carnival throw is Slidell, Louisiana, which has a parade by "The Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie." Also, in the town of Oneonta, Alabama, there is a moon pie eating contest started by Wal-Mart employee John Love when he inadvertently ordered too many. This anecdote was featured in Sam Walton's autobiography, Made in America.^[12]

[edit] See also

• S'more
• Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Chattanooga Bakery website
• Pictures