Kurma

If you're not from the United States you probably won't know what a Twinkie is.

Anyway, did you know...

Polysorbate 60, a chemical emulsifier used to duplicate the luscious taste of thick cream in fillings for popular snack cakes, is made using the explosive ethylene oxide, the same ingredient that produced tunnel-busting shells during the Vietnam War.

And cellulose gum, a cooked gooey substance made from cotton, gives the filling its slippery texture and is found in rocket fuel.

To learn more about what's in junk food, listen to this podcast with Steve Ettlinger, author of "Twinkie, Deconstructed" (Hudson Street Press).