Granula was the first manufactured
breakfast cereal
Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in We ...
. It was invented by
James Caleb Jackson
James Caleb Jackson (March 28, 1811 – July 11, 1895) was an American nutritionist and the inventor of the first dry, whole grain breakfast cereal which he called Granula. His views influenced the health reforms of Ellen G. White, a founder ...
in 1863.
Granula could be described as being a larger and tougher version of the somewhat similar later cereal
Grape-Nuts
Grape-Nuts is a brand of breakfast cereal made from flour, salt and dried yeast, developed in 1897 by C. W. Post, a former patient and later competitor of the 19th-century breakfast food innovator Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Post's original product ...
.
Granula, however, consisted primarily of
bran
Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. It consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, ...
-rich
graham flour
Graham flour is a type of coarse-ground flour of whole wheat named after Sylvester Graham. It is similar to conventional whole-wheat flour in that both are made from the whole grain, but graham flour is ground more coarsely. It is not sifted ("B ...
made into nugget shapes. The cereal had to be soaked overnight before it could be eaten.
The cereal was manufactured from a
dough
Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...
of Graham flour rolled into sheets and
baked
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...
. The dried sheets were then broken into pieces, baked again, and broken into smaller pieces.
1906 Recipe for Granula
Sister Amanda Witmore, McPherson, KS
See also
*Granola
Granola is a breakfast and snack food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown. The mixture is stirred while baking ...
is the later breakfast cereal developed by John Harvey Kellogg
John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ...
, renamed to avoid being sued by Jackson. Kellogg incorporated a rolling process to flake the grain, making it more palatable. It was subsequently revived in the 1960s as a somewhat similar breakfast cereal.
*Hardtack
Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of dense biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voy ...
is the military and naval ration of hard bread that was also commonly soaked before eating.
References
External links
Recipe for Granula, 1906
Sister Amanda Witmore, McPherson, KS
*{{Cite web
, title = Granola History
, work = The Nibble: Great Food Finds. The Magazine about Specialty Foods
, accessdate = 2013-11-14
, url = http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cereals/granola-girl-cereal.asp
Breakfast cereals