Sylvester Graham
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Sylvester Graham (July 5, 1794 - September 11, 1851) was born in Suffield, Connecticut, and was ordained in 1826 as a Presbyterian minister. He was an early advocate of dietary reform in America most notable for his emphasis on vegetarianism, and the temperance movement, as well as sexual and dietary habits.
In 1829 he invented Graham bread, made from unsifted and unbolted flour and free from chemical additives such as alum and chlorine. Graham argued that chemical additives in bread made it unwholesome, and he was correct: both alum and chlorine are now known to be toxic. The use of additives by bakeries was a common practice during the Industrial Revolution to make bread whiter in color, and more commercially appealing. Darker wheat bread was considered the fare of country rubes. Refined bread was a status symbol of the middle class because of its "purity and refinement" in its color and was purchased, rather than home-made. Graham believed that a firm, crusty bread made of coarsely ground whole-wheat flour was more nutritious and healthy.
Graham was also inspired by the temperance movement and preached that a vegetarian diet was a cure for alcoholism. While alcohol had useful medicinal qualities, it should never be abused by social drinking. For Graham, an unhealthy diet stimulated excessive sexual desire, that irritated the body and caused disease. While Graham developed a significant following known as Grahamites, he was also ridiculed by the media and the public for his unwavering zealotry. According to newspaper records, many women fainted at his lectures when he aired opinions both on sexual relations and his invective against the wearing of corsets.
In 1837 he had difficulty finding a place to speak in Boston because of threatened riots by butchers and commercial bakers. In 1850 he helped found the American Vegetarian Society modeled on a similar organization established in Great Britain. He died the following year, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Graham influenced notable figures in America, including Horace Greeley and John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek Sanatorium fame, and founder of Kellogg's.
While Graham is best known as the father of Graham crackers, today's rendition of the cracker on supermarket shelves is often made with refined flour. For a true Graham cracker, the best source is one's local health food store.
External links
- Sylvestor Graham biography (http://www.ivu.org/history/usa19/graham.html)
- The Straight Dope: Is it true graham crackers were invented to cure the dread fever of lust? (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_053.html)
- Sylvester Graham: genius or humbug? (http://www.sylvestersrestaurant.com/slygram.html)
- Sylvester Graham: Memorial Hall Museum American History & Art From New England (http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/people_places/main.jsp?view=1) Teacher & student resource
References
- Smith, Andrew F. Ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and drink in America. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, (2004).
- GRAHAM, SYLVESTER. In Encyclopędia Britannica (Vol. V12, pp. 318).
- Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, (1999).