Walk into almost any gas station and you’ll find a wall of snacks that look a lot like they did when your parents were driving. The packaging has been refreshed, and the flavor lineup is longer. The core products, though, are often decades old.
Some of these snacks began in bars, bakeries, or family kitchens long before anyone thought of them as road trip food. The highway system and the convenience store counter did the rest. Here are eight that have stayed on the shelf.
Slim Jim Meat Sticks
Slim Jim was introduced in 1929, and it’s now sold and made by Conagra Brands. The early versions went to local bars, packed in jars of vinegar. By the 1950s the company was selling them in cellophane wrappers, which looks much more like the snack we know.
The growing interstate system helped it travel. One account ties the 1950s highway expansion and a growing taste for road trips to Slim Jim’s rising popularity, since more time on the road meant more chances to stop at gas stations. Today about one billion Slim Jim snacks are produced each year in at least 21 varieties.
Funyuns
Funyuns are onion flavored rings made from cornmeal. They were introduced in the United States in 1969 and invented by Frito-Lay employee George Wade Bigner. The rings are shaped through an extrusion process, which gives them that light, fried texture.
The name has a small backstory. The original name was OnYums, but it was already taken, so a copywriter named Jim Albright came up with Funyuns. The snack is still around, and a Flamin’ Hot version has been sold since 2007.
Combos
Combos first appeared in 1985, pairing a crunchy pretzel or cracker tube with a cheese or peanut butter filling. The design suited eating in a car, since there was no need for a plate or a fork. Over time it became a staple at gas stations and convenience stores.
Today the brand sits in the Mars family. Mars also makes Combos, Kudos and Flavia beverages. Cheddar cheese pretzel and pepperoni pizza cracker remain the flavors most people picture first.
Moon Pie
The Chattanooga Bakery introduced the Moon Pie in 1917, a marshmallow sandwich of graham cookies dipped in chocolate. It’s sturdy enough to ride in a glove box, though the chocolate softens in a hot car. That’s a fair warning for summer drives.
In the South, the treat has a classic partner. It was traditionally paired with an RC Cola, a combination popular enough to inspire a country song. Bell Buckle, Tennessee, still holds an RC and Moon Pie festival.
Corn Nuts
Corn Nuts began in Oakland, California, in the 1930s, when a family business started roasting and salting whole corn kernels. The result is a very hard, very salty crunch that people either love or avoid. Dentists have probably never been fans.
The snack grew popular in the 1960s and 1970s and turned up in vending machines and at gas stations along the highway. It still has a spot on many racks, usually near the other salty classics. The crunch lasts a long time, which helps on a long drive.
Twinkies
Twinkies are a golden sponge cake with a cream filling, created in 1930 by James Dewar, a baker working for Continental Baking Company. They’ve gone through bankruptcy and ownership changes since then. The cake itself has stayed recognizable, and it’s still on gas station shelves.
The single serve package is part of the appeal. A pair of cakes in a clear wrapper fits a cup holder and doesn’t crumble much. Hostess currently makes them, along with a range of limited flavors that come and go.
Cheetos
Cheetos date to the late 1940s and come from Frito-Lay, the same company behind Funyuns. The crunchy version is the one most gas stations stock in several bag sizes. Flamin’ Hot has become the most visible variation on the rack.
The orange dust is famous for staying on your fingers. That’s a minor annoyance in a car, which is why wipes show up on many road trip packing lists. Even so, the bag remains one of the most common sights near the register.
Beef Jerky Strips
Dried beef has traveled with people for centuries, and packaged jerky found a natural home at convenience stores. It’s shelf stable, high in protein, and easy to eat while driving. Gas station racks usually carry several brands in peg bags.
The flavor range is wide, from original and teriyaki to peppered and sweet versions. Slim Jim sits in the same neighborhood and shares the same shelf. Together they make up the meaty corner of the road trip snack lineup.
Leave a Reply