The original graham crackers were extremely bland because their creator, Sylvester Graham, hoped his tasteless recipe would help curb Americans' sexual desires.
Sylvester Graham.
Public DomainSylvester Graham is considered the founder of America's “first anti-sugar crusade.”
Sylvester Graham was born on July 5, 1794, in West Suffield, Connecticut, into a fairly large family. He was the youngest of 17 children.
His father, a 72-year-old priest, died when Sylvester was just two years old, and his mother was often ill. As a result, young Sylvester was raised by various relatives, one of whom owned a local tavern. This exposed him to the harmful effects of alcohol, and he grew up hating drunkenness.
At the beginning of the 19th century this was quite unusual.
Still, Graham seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He was a diligent student. Health problems—including a bout of tuberculosis at age 16—slowed his formal education, but he briefly attended Amherst College, with the goal of becoming a minister. He left after a year.
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