The bizarre history of the graham cracker will make you never. Graham was a prime candidate for leadership during this era of righteousness. The peculiar origin of the graham cracker quirky science. Graham crackers were named for a man who believed unhealthy diet led to sexual excess. This namesake cracker was inspired by the preaching of the somewhat eccentric sylvester graham 17941851 as a young man, sylvester tried many occupations, eventually deciding to be a clergyman. The graham family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. But the graham cracker we know today would not get grahams blessing. Born in connecticut, graham toured the northeast during the early 1800s and gave controversial lectures about his views on peoples eating and drinking habits and their sexual behavior. According to other sources, it comes from the surname graham, which in turn is an anglofrench form of the name of the town of grantham, in lincolnshire, england. If you want the real thing more or less, try the health valley or new morning brands, which can be found in health food stores. The curious history of graham crackers and corn flakes now i.
A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense denotes ostentation. Some sources assert graham himself invented the snack in 1829. In 1840 there were 395 graham families living in pennsylvania. We call him grahammers, grahamalamadingdong, grahambo, grahambam, grahamie and we already have his mma fighting name picked out, the cracker. It is named after its inventor sylvester graham, a forerunner of the health food movement. Graham crackers were originally invented in the early 1800s by a presbyterian minister by the name of sylvester graham, who introduced this. My name is graham i think it fits me really well and i really like it. Many markets sell graham crackers, and it is also possible to make them at home.
Truly, his origin story reads like a marvelcomicmeetsmorality play. Is it true graham crackers were invented to cure the dread. I told my dh before his birth we would be calling him graham, and graham only. Pennsylvania had the highest population of graham families in 1840. If youre guessing they only wanted to create a delicious treat for the enjoyment of palates everywhere, youd be wrong. Graham crackers today are known as crunchy, sweet, and necessary to support a recently roasted smore. These sweet, perforated crackers came into existence by the hands of evangelical minister sylvester graham, with the goal of controlling your.
The first namebrand saltine cracker was released in 1876. The graham crackers, says the government, are still ok. Today, graham may be best remembered for his promotion of unsifted and coarsely ground wheat flour. Graham developed this form of flour in the 1830s in hopes of diverting people away from the less healthy refined white flour. S since 1910 graham has been the 505 th most popular boys name, representing 0. The graham surname is believed to be derived from an english place name which meant either gravelly homestead from the old english grand, meaning gravel, or grey home from the old english grasgham most of the original bearers of this surname came from grantham in lincolnshire, england.
The meaning of the name isnt the nicest for a first name, either. The towns name, in turn, might come from from grand, meaning gravel, and ham, which means homestead, or as the homestead of granta. Even after sylvesters death, graham baked goods remained a breakfast staple. Ontario had the highest population of graham families in 1911. Sylvester graham invented the boring snack staple around. The origins of the graham cracker are quite interesting. The graham cracker was inspired by the preaching of sylvester graham who was part of.
The premium brand used the traditional recipe and massproduced small square crackers with salt dusted on the top. There was indeed a graham who lent his name to the graham cracker, and his story will surely change the way you see the snack from now on. An exclassmate of mine was named graham and was charismatic, hilarious, and obnoxious. According to some sources, it comes from an old english word meaning or referring to a grey home, or gravel homestead. However, the original recipe of the cracker was surprisingly designed to be a health food. Do you know why graham crackers are called graham crackers. Out of this, came a bland, dry cracker that he named after himself the graham cracker. The crackling noise that emanated from the singed biscuits inspired the namecrackersand a bit of yankee ingenuity, as bent set out to convince the world of the products snack food potential. Graham cracker history sylvester graham diet background. From a scottish surname, originally derived from the english place name grantham, which probably meant gravelly homestead in old english. Our dictionary refers to graham as a dietary reformer, a label that rarely indicates a person who is wellbeloved by the masses. The crackers were developed in the 1800s by the reverend sylvester graham, a man who believed that a healthy diet was the key to a healthy and moral life. The bizarre history of the graham cracker will make you. Sylvester graham invented the boring snack staple around 1829.
Ashers chocolate company, chocolate covered graham crackers, made from the finest kosher chocolate, small batches, family owned since 1892 7. He learned to live with all the graham cracker jokes. It also makes me think of graham crackers, unfortunately, and when said the north american way, of gram as in grandma or gram the measurement of weight. He fully supported the movement that sex should be forbidden and decided to invent the graham cracker to help out his fellow. This was about 18% of all the recorded grahams in the usa.
Graham is a locational anglosaxon surname, from the lincolnshire town of grantham. This was about 54% of all the recorded grahams in canada. In 1911 there were 4,919 graham families living in ontario. The graham cracker as well as the substance from which they are made, graham flour is named for sylvester graham, a 19th century advocate of what some might call clean living. A famous bearer was alexander graham bell 18471922, the scottishcanadianamerican inventor who devised the. Among the best known bearers are novelist graham greene, racing driver graham hill and painter graham sutherland, as well as musicians graham nash and parkerand gram. The somewhat bleak origin story of the humble graham cracker. The strange and sexual history of the graham cracker huffpost life. Definition a slightly sweet cracker made of whole wheat flour. Graham cracker definition, a semisweet cracker, usually rectangular in shape, made chiefly of wholewheat flour. As it goes, a hotheaded new jersey presbyterian minister by the name of rev.
Graham name meaning, origin, popularity, boy names like. A graham cracker is a sweet flavored cracker made with graham flour that originated in the. Nickname for graham baby names forums what to expect. The curious history of graham crackers and corn flakes. From 1880 to 2018 less than 5 people per year have been born with the first name cracker.
The graham cracker is a cookie of sorts, common in the united states, which is typically sweetened with sugar, honey, andor cinnamon. Graham crackers and graham flour are both named after a failed minister turned professional reformer named sylvester graham 17951851. In 1891 there were 4,158 graham families living in cumberland. The name graham is a boys name of scottish, english origin meaning gravelly homestead well used in england and scotland since the fifties, the smooth and sophisticated graham is catching on here. Use for blank tiles max 2 advanced search advanced search. It is eaten as a snack food, usually honey or cinnamonflavored, and is used as an ingredient in some foods. Despite the name, most brands of graham cracker today use refined white flour. Graham cracker definition is a slightly sweet cracker made of whole wheat flour. One early published recipe for a smore is found in a book of recipes published by the campfire marshmallows company in the 1920s, where it was called a graham cracker sandwich. Sylvester graham, a minister who lived and preached in the first half of the 19th century, carried on a dietary crusade in favor of whole wheat flour, arguing that to separate the bran from the rest of the wheat berry was against the will of god. The current recipe is a far cry from their original one a mild, unsweetened biscuit made of unbleached flour with.
The cookielike graham cracker of today didnt come about until nabisco bought the brand in the 1890s. The company was best known for their slogan, polly wants a cracker. Graham crackers were invented to curb your sexual desires. The firm added a hefty dose of sugar and cinnamon and changed the recipe significantly over. The seriously unsexy origins of the graham cracker entrepreneur. Take a wild guess why someone invented the graham cracker. Today, graham crackers are a mainstay of lunchboxes, afterschool snacks, and even lazy gingerbread houses. A specific cracker made of graham flour, developed in the nineteenth century a type of rectangular cracker, usually made of graham flour and sweetened with. The most graham families were found in the usa in 1880. If he only knew that the national biscuit company, later, nabisco, rebranded them as a vessel for chocolate and marshmallows. In 2018 graham was the 181 st most popular boys name, representing 0. The oldest recorded birth by the social security administration for the name cracker is monday, march 26th, 1906. Cumberland had the highest population of graham families in 1891.
It is a habitational name, derived from grantham in lincolnshire, england. Originally conceived as part of a diet developed by the reverend sylvester graham of connecticut, the graham cracker was consumed as a part of an. The 1800s were the beginning of the industrialization of food and bread in particular was affected by this. Meaning, origin and history of the name graham behind. Bread moved away from being baked in the home with wholesome ingredients and became the massproduced, nutrientdevoid loaves that are common today. Shyrocks 1931 paper sylvester graham and the popular health movement, 18301870 is a fine entry point into this history. Ever stop and wonder where the graham cracker came from. The graham cracker was invented to stop you from masturbating. The graham cracker is generally dark tan and has a somewhat gritty texture.
The text indicates that the treat was already popular with both boy scouts and girl scouts. Graham cracker definition of graham cracker by merriam. This namesake cracker was inspired by the preaching of the somewhat eccentric sylvester graham 17941851. The story behind pacman, a super popular video game of the 80s. This is because it is made from unsifted coarsegrind whole wheat flour. Audio and video pronunciation of graham brought to you by pronounce names, a website dedicated to helping people pronounce na. Grahams law in physics 1845 is a reference to scottish. Todays graham cracker recipe would likely make sylvester rise from the dead and promptly demand that his name be stripped from the product. This was about 18% of all the recorded grahams in the uk.
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