7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Graham Crackers

They were first developed to curb the sex drive. Subjug/Getty Images. Many strict vegans have ethical reasons for eschewing meat and dairy, and Sylvester Graham, the inventor of the graham cracker, was no exception. His overriding moral concern, however, wasn't animal welfare, deforestation, or climate change. Instead, it was masturbation.

Graham Crackers Were Originally Meant to Be Part of a Diet Thought to ...

The unrefined flour yielded a naturally nutty flavor and very slight sweetness. This supported the crux of Graham's theory, that bland food kept one pure in thought and deed. Since the days of the Graham Diet, the cracker recipe has evolved significantly. For instance, Nabisco began making Graham crackers with bleached white flour and oils.

The Strange and Sexual History of the Graham Cracker

In Boston, Graham was physically attacked by a mob of bakers and butchers who blamed him for declining sales. Many bakers tried to market Graham's bread, and the source of the first "Graham cracker" is disputed. What is sure is that in 1898, the National Biscuit Company (what we now know as Nabisco) launched its Graham crackers, and achieved ...

Why Were Graham Crackers Invented? - Mental Floss

To combat this moral decay, Graham started a diet regimen of his own. While graham crackers were invented to curb vices such as smoking and drinking or bad behaviors like masturbation and impure ...

Graham Crackers Were Actually Invented For This Weird Reason

Included in what Graham advised for a healthy lifestyle was limited alcohol intake and consuming few animal products, which all seem very sensible. However, according to Business Insider, Graham invented his uninspiring cracker in an attempt to suppress human sexual desire. Graham's thinking went that the more flavorful the food, the more ...