Definition of the word graham cracker

The word "graham cracker" derives from the name of a prominent figure in the 19th century, Sylvester Graham. Graham was a Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer who believed that many common foods, such as white flour, caused overstimulation and immoral thoughts. To combat this, he encouraged the consumption of foods made from whole wheat flour, including a flour that he himself helped develop. By the 1820s, bakers began incorporating this wheat flour into biscuits and crackers. In 1829, a Quaker OFW Bissell, from Pittsburgh, started manufacturing graham crackers, marketing them as Sylvester Graham Healthive Biscuit, named after the minister's teachings. The crackers quickly gained popularity as they were seen as the ideal food to help curb feelings of temptation and suppress impulses related to overeating and sexual desires. The name "graham cracker" eventually became a common phrase to describe these whole-wheat biscuits or crackers, despite the fact that Graham had long since passed away. The crackers, now known as S'mores ingredients, remain popular around the world today as a derivative of Graham's dietary reforms almost 200 years later.