The Cheesy Gas Station Snack That's Been Around Since The '50s

Cheese puffs are a fairly pervasive snack these days, with a wide range of brands and flavors to choose from. But back in the 1950s, these puffed, cheesy cornmeal-based treats were still in their infancy. A Long Islander named Morrie Yohai, who was running his family's business, began perfecting his own version of the cheese puff. And if you grew up in the northeastern United States, you, your parents, and maybe even your grandparents, probably chowed down on his invention over the years: Cheez Doodles.

Yohai wasn't the first person to come up with the idea for this cheesy snack. That honor went to Edward Wilson of the Wisconsin-based Flakall Corporation. He created Korn Kurls in the 1930s as an accidental invention that was originally made to be cattle feed. The grinder produced puffy ribbons of cornmeal that Wilson then flavored with cheese. For his version, Yohai used a machine that used heat and pressure to create its distinctive puffed shape, which was then cut into 3-inch lengths and baked — rather than fried — and covered in a distinctive blend of spices and cheese powder. The snacks, which Yohai named Cheez Doodles, hit the market in the late 1950s and would soon become a standard bagged treat at grocery stores, bodegas, and gas stations. And unlike some snacks that have disappeared from the 1980s, like Keebler's Tato Skins, Cheez Doodles are still around.

Cheez Doodles did so well that, in 1965, the Borden company bought Old London Foods, which also made Melba toast and ice cream cones. Morrie Yohai joined Borden as the company's senior vice president for its snack food division, and his Cheez Doodles came to Borden as well. The cheesy snacks began to be made by one of Bordon's subsidiaries, Wise Foods. While Bordon no longer owns Wise, the Pennsylvania-based company still produces the snacks. They now come in a wide variety of flavors, including Extra Crunchy, Hot & Honey, and White Cheddar. Wise produces 15 million pounds of Cheez Doodles per year at its Pennsylvania factory, which is equivalent to around seven billion individual doodles!

Today, Cheetos — a product of Frito-Lay that actually predates the Cheez Doodle by about a decade — is the best selling cheese puff on the market. It has even found its way into cocktails, like a dirty martini (or, at least the dust has). But that's not to say Cheez Doodles aren't holding their own, especially on the East Coast, where they're a beloved snack. Yohai died in 2010 at age 90, and although he had many other interests — including poetry and Jewish mysticism — he will forever be known as the father of the Cheez Doodle.