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 Home > Sugar Free Brands > Tang Sugar Free > Tang FAQ
TangTang (drink)
Tang is a sugared, fruit-flavored, non carbonated soft drink from the USA. The original orange flavored Tang was formulated by General Foods Corporation in 1957 and first marketed (in powdered form) in 1959.
It was initially intended as a breakfast drink, but sales were poor until NASA began using it on Gemini flights in 1965. For a decade it was associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program by many consumers.
The Tang brand is currently owned by Kraft Foods. A single 8 oz serving of Tang provides 92 calories, 60 mg of vitamin C (100% RDA), and no caffeine. Kraft also makes a sugar-free version of Tang, containing aspartame, which comes in individually-measured packets and was introduced in March 1985.
Tang usually comes in a plastic container with a screw-on lid that makes six quarts. A larger nine-quart container (898 grams) is available.
The recommended usage is two tablespoons per 8 ounces of water. The lid on the plastic container also acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities.
Tang now comes in smaller, more concentrated mixes. The new containers are 12.3 oz (348g) and make 8 quarts. The recommended usage is two and a half teaspoons per 8 ounces of water.
Tang is now not only more concentrated, it also contains artificial sweeteners listed as Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, and Neotame.
It was initially intended as a breakfast drink, but sales were poor until NASA began using it on Gemini flights in 1965. For a decade it was associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program by many consumers.
The story of how and why Tang was used by the NASA Gemini space program is best explained by a NASA engineer involved with working on the Gemini Space Program on the life-support module.
"... There was a particular component of the Gemini life support-system module which produced H20 (water) among other things. This was a byproduct of a reoccurring chemical reaction of one of the mechanical devices on the life-support module. The astronauts would use this water to drink during their space flight. The problem was, the Astronauts did not like the taste of the water because of some of the byproducts produced, which were not harmful of course. So, they added Tang to make the water taste better ..."
One recipe for making Tang is to heat it, as one would make hot chocolate.
An often heard household tip says Tang is an excellent dishwasher cleaning agent due to its high citric acid content. Although Kraft does not recommend it, they also do not advocate against this use. Their web site says:
"We have heard that some consumers have used TANG Drink Mix to clean their dishwashers. TANG does contain citric acid which can act as cleaning agent. TANG Drink mix is intended to be a food product and Kraft Foods does not advocate its use for any other purpose."
At one time, Philadelphia authorities attempted to deter addicts from misusing doses of methadone by packaging it in combination with Tang[2]; this was carried out under the reasoning that nobody would be foolish enough to intravenously inject the combination. This was not the case. There was also at least one reported case of accidental methadone overdose from family members who found a jar of mixed Tang in the refrigerator. The inventor of Tang, William A. Mitchell, also invented Pop Rocks, Jell-O, and Cool Whip.
Several US presidents have been known to enjoy Tang, including Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.
On Married with Children, members of the Bundy family in one episode made "Tang sandwiches". If there were not enough for a sandwich, they would have "Tang wipe" (a slice of bread wiped in the jar to absorb the residual Tang).
Again on Married... with Children, Bud is caught by his dad serving Tang and Girly Girl Beer, dubbing it a Bundy Mimosa
On an episode of the 1993 cartoon series 2 Stupid Dogs, the two dogs wander into a spaceship looking for a block of ice cream. Another spaceship has an astronaut and a monkey inside, and the monkey says, "I think you've been drinking too much Tang."
In the movie The Coneheads the two aliens mention Tang being the drink that the astronauts take to the moon, then laugh about humans going to the moon.
In an episode of That 70's Show, aspiring astronaut Michael Kelso remarks "Girls must really love astronauts: it says here they get all the Tang they want!"
In another episode of That 70's Show, Eric Forman's mother makes him "sausage and Tang" for breakfast. Eric comments that "sausage and Tang" is a bit racy for breakfast. Not getting the joke, his mother becomes confused and makes the comment "growing boys need Tang", still unaware of its meaning.
In the Simpsons episode "Deep Space Homer" Homer rings NASA and President Clinton looking for some Tang.
^ Can I use TANG Drink Mix to clean my dishwasher?. Kraft Foods website. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
^ a b Robert C. Wolfe, Marcus M. Reidenberg, Vicente Dinoso (May 1972). "Tang® and Methadone by Vein". Annals of Internal Medicine 76: 830.
^ A. Mitchell Smith, Micheal B. Dratch, Solomon S. Mintz (Jan 1973). "Methadone in Tang®". Annals of Internal Medicine 78: 154.
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