One of the most popular breakfast foods consumed all over the world, especially in the US, is breakfast cereal. These come in attractive cardboard boxes in various sizes, offering a wide variety of grains in different forms, shapes, flavours, and colours. But have you ever wondered about their origin? Digging deep into history, we found that there lies some serious history behind this simple, go-to breakfast option. Curious? Keep reading, and you will be surprised to know the reason for the invention of the cereal.
Cereals Were Invented as a Cure For Those With Illnesses
Breakfast cereal was first developed by a doctor and health reformer named James Caleb Jackson in 1863. Dr. Jackson ran a sanatorium in upstate New York, a type of hospital where patients who need a long period of treatment for an illness can stay. He believed that many illnesses were due to a poor digestive system, and thus began experimenting with cold cereal as a cure for illness, reports Smithsonian Magazine. He invented 'Granula,' a recipe made from water and dried graham flour broken into pieces. 'Granula' was hard and had to be mixed with milk to be eaten.
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Cereals As a Food To Prevent Self-Gratification
Inspired by Jackson, John Harvey Kellogg, of Kellogg's cereal brand, invented the cornflakes along with his brother Will. Kellogg was a physician and a member of the church that promoted wellness, according to a report by The Guardian. He too believed that eating foods like meat and fried potatoes for breakfast was causing digestive issues, leading to several other health problems.
He was also worried that masturbation caused multiple health problems such as epilepsy, mood swings, and acne. He thought the solution was a diet devoid of heavy spices, flavours, and sugar, reports Refinery29.
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"Kellogg was more responsible than any other person in his generation for popularising the fallacious disease of masturbation," New York Post quotes author John Money from his book, "The Destroying Angel: Sex, Fitness and Food in the Legacy of Degeneracy Theory, Graham Crackers, Kellogg's Corn Flakes and American Health History."
Seema Anand, Mythologist and Author of "The Arts of Seduction," also talked about the history of cornflakes in one of her Instagram Reels.
"John Kellogg believed that the desire to masturbate came from eating spicy foods. So, he was on the hunt to create the blandest food of all," she shares in the video. Watch the full Reel here.
Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims in the post by the Instagram user.
Growth of the Market for Breakfast Cereals
Eventually, several varieties of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals were invented. Until the mid-to-late 1950s, the market was relatively small, but later, it kept growing, thanks to skilful product diversification and modern advertising, reports Britannica. Soon, ready-to-eat cereals became a breakfast favourite of many. In the first decade of the 21st century, Americans bought about 2.7 billion boxes of cereal each year.