The last clip you pullulate yourself a bowl of Kellogg ’s Corn Flakes , you may not have been aware of the complicated history behind this iconic breakfast cereal .
If you ’ve ever inquire yourself , " Why was cereal invented ? " trust us , the story is a surprising one sport a sanitarium in Michigan , some musty dough , and two brothers with the last name Kellogg who were deeply committed to health . The effect that unfolded gave birth to a whole raw industriousness and help make the breakfast product the incredibly popular solid food it is today .
Why Did the Kellogg Brothers Invent Cereal?
rigorously speak , American businessmen and brothers John Harvey Kellogg and Will Keith Kellogg did n’t invent grain . However , they did invent modern - sidereal day edible corn flakes , which many masses consider to be the first breakfast cereal . It was originally a wellness intellectual nourishment for John Harvey Kellogg ’s patient role at the sanitarium in Battle Creek , Michigan .
bear in 1852 , John Harvey Kellogg was a large figure in the 7th - day Adventist Church and a god-fearing worshiper in the church ’s principle of biologic aliveness , which emphasized a vegetarian dieting , the phthisis of whole grain , and a percipient digestive tract .
After becoming the Battle Creek sanitarium ’s director in 1876 , John Harvey Kellogg began to test various bland foods that aline with the church ’s health - concentrate notion and encourageddigestive healthin his patients . His younger buddy , William Keith Kellogg , joined him in this commission .
Together , they began experimenting with whole - grain cereals , andaround 1877 , they begin bring in a breakfast dough made of wheat flour , oat , and cornmeal that John then baked and pounded into small pieces .
The First Corn Flakes
The invention of corn bit involve a happy stroke . One day in 1898 , someone left out a mint of breakfast grain wampum for too long , and it begin to ferment . A mortal roam the moldy dough into thin sheets anyway , and then baked them at a high temperature until they became crispy . This resulted in flakes a individual could easily break aside and enjoy with milk .
Notably , these original corn flakes were free of addedsugar . This was a deliberate choice , aligning with the Kellogg brothers ' consignment to healthy living .
Historians ca n’t seem to hold on whether or not the brothers were the unity who invented the original formula for corn flakes , but they do mostly agree it was Will who wreak out that using more corn versus wheat made for a crunchier , more cheering geek .
It ’s a popular myth that John Kellogg , who famously promoted simpleness , invented corn flakes to discourage masturbation among his patients . While he did encourageeating bland foodsfor that intent , there ’s no evidence he ever recommend corn geek specifically as a method for curb sexual impulse .
The Birth of the Kellogg Company
Will recognized the commercial potential of the brothers ' invention and fancy an opportunity to mass market corn flakes . In 1906 , he founded the Kellogg Company , which remain one of the leading cereal producers in the world today .
The breakfast intellectual nourishment was initially known as " Kellogg ’s Toasted Corn Flakes , " highlighting the method acting John and Will used to make them .
Although Will did terminate upadding sugarto his recipe for corn fleck , Kellogg ’s Zea mays flakes maintained its marketing level as a nutrient yet convenient breakfast option , aligned with thehealth foodtrends of the clock time . In the future , many of the troupe ’s other cereal would contain impart gelt too .
The Rise of the Flaked Cereal Industry
While John Kellogg and his blood brother Will were delicately - tuning their breakfast grain mind , a man describe C.W. Post was also dabbling in solid food science . Coincidentally , Post also had a keen sake in health foods and had spend time at the Battle Creek sanitarium in the 1890s as a patient role .
In 1895 , Post found the Postum Cereal Company , which would later become Post Cereal and then Post Consumer Brands . His first cereal , which he released to the public in 1897 , was a dry and crunchy blend of barley , wheat berry , Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and dry out barm that he called Grape - Nuts . The ship’s company still sells Grape - Nuts today .
General Mills , another player in the cereal grass plot , was also go away firm in the former 1900s . Today , masses associate General Mills with some of its best - loved cereals , such as Count Chocula , Cheerios , Honey Nut Cheerios and Kix .
With these major make competing in the market around the turn of the twentieth C , the flaked cereal industry was deliver . Of course , Kellogg eventually overlook " toast " from the name of its most famous food grain , using simply " Kellogg ’s Corn Flakes , " and the companionship would go on to premise the world to pop grain like Cocoa Pebbles and Rice Krispies .
Post also continued to be a strength in the mart . In the age since its founding , the brand has given consumer Honey Bunches of Oats , Honeycomb , Shredded Wheat and others staple of the American breakfast .
The Enduring Appeal of Breakfast Cereal
Cereal ’s convenience and long ledge life made it a go - to selection for mass ’s fussy morning . As the American public ’s lovemaking for the breakfast food grew , so did the want for selling and other techniques that Kellogg and its rival , such as General Mills and Post , could utilize to differentiate their product .
Meanwhile , the brands continued to innovate , explicate a form of savor , shapes and texture to ply to hoi polloi ’s unlike predilection . Despite the proliferation of other cereals and flakes in the market place , Kellogg ’s Corn Flakes has stay a staple in many household .
In recent days , there has been a shift in consumer preferences toward goodish breakfast options with lower sugar content . respond to this trend , Kellogg and other producers have introduced salmagundi with less added saccharide as a selling level . In universal , however , cereal remains a very democratic nutrient item in American households and shows no signs of going anywhere .
This article was created in junction with AI technology , then was fact - check up on and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor .
