Has there ever been a more curious and fascinating food item than the Twinkie? Does it really have an infinite shelf life? How do they get the cream filling in there? And, first and foremost, what exactly is in this yellowish spongy treat? Well, we now have our answer in disturbing photographic form.

A new book, titled 37 or so Ingredients, supplies visuals of our Twinkie contents for those who can’t bring themselves to read the food label. Photographer Dwight Eschliman takes his obsession with processed foods and individually displays the Twinkie’s polysyllabic chemical compounds—reinforcing the Twinkie’s status as a true wonder of science by displaying them in petri dishes.

For more information or to order a copy of the book, email twinkiebook[at]eschlimanphoto[dot]com.

[via GOOD]