FOOD NEWS
The Strange Story Behind The Invention Of The Graham Cracker
By Nick Johnson
Delving into the bizarre histories of certain snacks can be an incredibly fascinating endeavor. Take, for example, the invention of the graham cracker, which can be attributed to Reverend Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister in the early to mid-1800s who created the Graham diet to curb people’s sexual desires.
The diet was made of "simply-prepared bland foods with lots of whole grains, most fruits and vegetables, and no spices, meat, alcohol or tobacco," per The Atlantic. He was also staunchly opposed to white flour and created a method for milling whole-wheat flour, which led to the invention of Graham bread — a flavorless wafer that contained no sugar.
Years after Reverend Graham passed away in 1851, bakers began to sell versions of his cracker. In 1931, The National Biscuit Company — now known as Nabisco — added sugar to the recipe, officially making the graham cracker a sinful snack that the Reverend wouldn't dream of eating.