A graham cracker (pronounced or in America) is a sweet flavored cracker made with

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 ( ...

that originated in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the mid-19th century, with commercial development from about 1880. It is eaten as a snack food, usually honey- or cinnamon-flavored, and is used as an ingredient in some foods.

History

The graham cracker was inspired by the preaching of Sylvester Graham who was part of the 19th-century

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. He believed that minimizing pleasure and stimulation of all kinds, including the prevention of masturbation, coupled with a vegetarian diet anchored by bread made from wheat coarsely ground at home, was how God intended people to live, and that following this natural law would keep people healthy. His preaching was taken up widely in the midst of the 1829–51 cholera pandemic. His followers were called Grahamites and formed one of the first vegetarian movements in America;

, graham crackers, and

graham bread Graham bread is a name for whole wheat bread that was inspired by the teachings of famous health reformer Sylvester Graham. History Sylvester Graham was a 19th-century health reformer who argued that a vegetarian diet, anchored by bread that w ...

were created for them. Graham neither invented nor profited from these products.

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); ''Typee'' (1846), a rom ...

has an early reference to the crackers in Book XXII, Chapter I of his 1852 novel '' Pierre; or The Ambiguities'' - "For all the long wards, corridors, and multitudinous chambers of the Apostles' were scattered with the stems of apples, the stones of prunes, and the shells of peanuts. They went about huskily muttering the Kantian Categories through teeth and lips dry and dusty as any miller's, with the crumbs of Graham crackers."

Production

The main ingredients in its earlier preparations were graham flour, oil, shortening or lard, molasses and salt. Graham crackers have been a

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

food product in the United States since 1898, with the National Biscuit Company being the first to mass-produce it at that time. The

Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company Sunshine Biscuits, formerly known as The Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, was an independent American baker of cookies, crackers, and cereals. The company, which became a brand on a few products such as Cheez-Its, was purchased by Keebler Company ...

also began mass-producing the product beginning sometime in the early 1910s. The product continues to be mass-produced in the U.S. today. In earlier times, mass-produced graham crackers were typically prepared using yeast-leavened dough, which added flavor to the food via the process of fermentation, whereas contemporary mass-production of the product typically omits this process. The dough is sometimes chilled before being rolled out, which prevents blistering and breakage from occurring when the product is baked.

Uses

Graham cracker crumbs are used to create

graham cracker crust Graham cracker crust is a style of pie crust made from crushed graham crackers. Graham crackers are a sweet American cracker made from unbleached, whole wheat graham flour. The crust is usually flavored and stiffened with butter or vegetable ...

s for pies and moon pies, and as a base, layer or topping for cheesecake. Graham cracker pie crusts are also mass-produced in the United States, and consumer versions of the product typically consist of a graham cracker crumb mixture pressed into an aluminum pie pan. The graham cracker is a main ingredient in the preparation of the

s'more A s'more is a campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of one or more toasted marshmallows and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. Etymology and origins ''S'more'' is a contraction of ...

. Graham crackers are also commonly used in place of '' broas'' in the traditional

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

icebox cake An icebox cake (also known as a chocolate ripple cake or log in Australia) is a dairy-based dessert made with cream, fruits, nuts, and wafers and set in the refrigerator. One particularly well-known version is the back-of-the-box recipe on thin ...

mango float Mango float or ''crema de mangga'' is a Filipino icebox cake dessert made with layers of ladyfingers (''broas'') or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes. It is chilled for a few hours before serving, thoug ...

Gallery

File:National Biscuit Company graham crackers, 1915.jpg, A box of National Biscuit Company graham crackers, c. 1915, which was priced at ten cents File:Vegetarian s'mores (3680344160).jpg, A

File:Graham cracker crust.jpg, A homemade

File:Mango float (Cebu City).jpg,

Mango float Mango float or ''crema de mangga'' is a Filipino icebox cake dessert made with layers of ladyfingers (''broas'') or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes. It is chilled for a few hours before serving, thoug ...

, an

dessert from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

using graham crackers, cream, and ripe

Philippine mango The Carabao mango, also known as the Philippine mango or Manila mango, is a variety of particularly sweet mango from the Philippines. It is one of the most important varieties of mango cultivated in the Philippines. The variety is reputed inter ...

References

Notes Further reading
"Almanac: Graham crackers"
CBS News. July 5, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

External links