
How Graham Crackers Were Invented To Fight Addiction And Masturbation
A simple snack food was once seen as a deterrent to devient behavior
Graham crackers are one of those foods that have been along for a long time, but are rarely in the conversation as a favorite delicacy. Best known for their applications as the base for sweet treats like cheesecake and s’mores, their history is actually much more complex than their current utility might suggest. First developed in the mid-19th century, they were originally intended as something to help people combat addiction to caffeine, alcohol and overeating, and ward off compulsion to masturbate — a far cry from the benign crunchy snack they are today.
Graham crackers were the brainchild of Sylvester Graham, a severe Presbyterian minister from New England. He believed that indulgence was a sin, particularly when it came to overeating or eating decadent food. Similarly, he held that seeking stimulation was also a no-no, meaning that sex, tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine were things that should be off limits to those seeking a purer life. To help establish a regimen for himself and his parishioners, he developed a bland diet designed to fight against such immorality.
Graham’s ideas held that eating habits were connected to behavior, and behaviors could inform eating habits. He believed some foods were so overstimulating that they could be the impetus to impure thoughts and activities, including what he referred to as the epidemic of “self-pollution,” or masturbation, which he associated with causing blindness and insanity.
During the 1830s, Graham’s views became popular enough that he operated health retreats that advocated for a plain diet devoid of meat and sugar. These beliefs were an early inspiration for veganism. His approach was so strict that he even railed against the use of butter, seasonings and refined flour. According to Graham, overeating was among the worst things a person could do, contending that “a drunkard sometimes reaches old age; a glutton never.”
Graham’s followers adhered to a diet centered around coarsely ground wheat or rye bread. He also developed crackers and muffins, which were also made from the same flour (and molasses instead of sugar), and became popular breakfast items. His fame reached national prominence in the 1830s during a cholera epidemic in New York City that ravaged the population. However, people who followed his diet seemed to be disproportionately in good health, leading to his cookbooks being widely published, and his work covered in many publications.
The Graham diet fell out of favor in the 1840s as the lack of science behind it (and flavor) led to its downfall. A primary example of this was when students at Ohio’s Oberlin College who were forced onto a Graham diet protested against what they felt was an inadequate and tyrannical nutrition plan. A low light of this was when the school dismissed a professor who was caught sneaking a pepper mill into the dining hall.
The views of Graham served as an influence for figures like John Harvey Kellogg, the Victorian-era inventor of corn flakes. Kellogg especially shared a belief that certain foods like meat and flavorful options, were a direct link to sexual impulses. Consequently, he also advocated for a diet consisting of plain foods, free from sinful sugar.
Graham crackers have been mass produced as a food product since 1898, well after they ceased being primarily used as a way to suppress stimulative and sexual impulses. Something about them must have appealed to people to allow them to continue to have a shelf life after the fad of bland diets were rejected. Their sales have only grown year after year. The leading vendors in the United States combined to sell in excess of $500 million worth of the crispy crackers in 2022.
Ironically, Graham died in 1851 at the age of 57 due to complications that arose after he had been administered opium enemas at the instruction of his physician. It was also believed that in his later years he had gone back to a more traditional diet, which included meat, in an attempt to improve his health. In the end, straying from his principles may have been a direct cause to an early death.
Graham crackers may be a rather bland, unmemorable snack option, but they have endured for nearly two centuries. Like many things in life, they no longer serve the same purpose for which they were developed. In this case, they were able to overcome their intended use to stifle human feelings and evolve into something entirely different.