The Sanctimonious Origins of the Graham Cracker

In a toasty TED-Ed lesson, written by Stephanie Honchell Smith and directed by Anton Bogaty, narrator Susan Zimmerman explained the sanctimonious origins of the simple, unassuming Graham cracker invented by a 19th century minister named Sylvester Graham.

Graham believed that corporeal pleasures were sinful and advised that his parishioners eat a vegetarian diet, take daily walks outdoors, and bake their own crackers. This was Graham’s recipe to curb the voracious appetites of all types.

In the 1800s, minister Sylvester Graham believed Americans had a big problem— not just with their bodies, but their souls. He argued that overindulgence was fueling their baser desires, making them immoral and oversexed. To curb this corruption, puritanical reformers advocated for foods they thought curbed a variety of appetites.