Also known as Johnnycakes, griddle cakes or hotcakes, this batter-made breakfast item dates back more than 30,000 years.
The First Breakfast Cereal, Granula, Had to Be Soaked Before Being Eaten. Granula wasn't much like the cereal we eat today. The first manufactured breakfast cereal, it was developed in 1863 by a doctor and health reformer named James Caleb Jackson.
In 1863, James Caleb Jackson, a religiously conservative vegetarian who ran a medical sanitarium in western New York, created a breakfast cereal from graham flour dough that was dried and broken into shapes so hard they needed to be soaked in milk overnight. He called it granula.
Before cereal, in the mid 1800s, the American breakfast was not all that different from other meals. Middle- and upper-class Americans ate eggs, pastries, and pancakes, but also oysters, boiled chickens, and beef steaks.
Up until about 12,000 years ago, all humans got their food by hunting, gathering or fishing. As foragers, they would fast until they found, caught or killed their food. There was no breakfast upon waking,, or leftovers for lunch.
1910s: Canned fruit, fried hominy, and coffee
The classic Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1918) by Fannie Farmer includes this sample breakfast menu: Fried hominy, maple syrup, raised biscuits, sliced peaches, and coffee.
Weet-Bix was developed by Bennison Osborne in Sydney, Australia in the mid-1920s.
Kellogg invented Corn Flakes®, the first dry, flaked breakfast cereal. Corn Flakes became the most popular dry breakfast cereal in the world and transformed the typical American breakfast. Kellogg was born in Tyrone Township, Michigan.
As with many notable inventions, Kellogg's Corn Flakes were created partially by accident. Though the product may not be what the Kellogg brothers were intending to make at the time, their stroke of culinary luck led to the advent of The Kellogg Company and America's best-selling breakfast cereal.
Consuming cereals after the 'Best if Used By' date does not pose a food safety risk. "If you eat a cereal after this date, it simply may not taste as good." Many cereals are like canned foods, which generally stay safe to eat but may lose their texture and color as the months and years pass.
According to research by Zippia, the largest cereal brand in the United States is Cheerios, with a revenue of $18.126 billion and 139.1 million boxes sold in 2021.
The Victorian breakfast was usually a heavy meal: sausages, preserves, bacon and eggs, served with bread rolls. The custom of afternoon tea served before dinner, with milk and sugar, became well-established in Britain in the early 19th century.
A Brief History of Breakfast
The first record of a daily morning meal comes from Ancient Egypt. Peasants would consume beer, bread, and onions in the morning before going to work. It was typically a heavy meal as they would not eat again until the end of the day.
The origin
Kellogg. In 1863, a religiously conservative vegetarian, James Caleb Jackson, ran a medical sanitarium in western New York. He created a breakfast cereal from graham flour dough dried and broken into shapes hard to be soaked in milk overnight, which is referred to as granula.
As early as 1915, Kellogg's Corn Flakes were being imported into Australia, along with other cereal brands including Quaker Oats and Post Toasties (a type of cornflake manufactured by the American Postum company).
August 1932 saw our founders, Bennison Osbourne and Malcolm MacFarlane, form the British and African Cereal Co Ltd. Their first act? Acquiring a disused flour mill in Burton Latimer to start production of a revolutionary new cereal – Weetabix.
The first cold breakfast cereal, Granula (not the same as granola), was invented in the United States in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, operator of Our Home on the Hillside which was later replaced by the Jackson Sanatorium in Dansville, New York.
Both Weet-Bix and Weetabix were invented by Bennison Osborne, an Australian. Weet-Bix was introduced in Australia through the company “Grain Products Limited” in the mid-1920s, with funding from businessman Arthur Shannon and marketing assistance from Osborne's New Zealand friend Malcolm Macfarlane.
Weet-Bix™ is Australia's No.
Weet-Bix™ is Australia's favourite breakfast cereal.
1932. Bennison Osbourne and Malcolm MacFarlane, our founders, form the British and African Cereal Co Ltd. Their first act? Acquiring a disused flour mill in Burton Latimer to start production of a revolutionary new cereal – Weetabix.
Much like today, families usually ate three daily meals. The main meal in the 1800s, however, was not the large evening meal that is familiar to us today. Rather, it was a meal called dinner, enjoyed in the early afternoon. Supper was a smaller meal eaten in the evening.
Studies show that the city dwellers ate a variety of meats, dairy, grains and other plants. The shards yielded traces of proteins found in barley, wheat and peas, along with several animal meats and milks.