money Discovery+ digs into the 'messy history' of cereal in new series
Discovery+ is shining light on the origins of cereal, including some of the "messy" aspects connected to Battle Creek as the birthplace of its industry.
"The Messy History of American Food" premiers Wednesday exclusively on the streaming service with an episode spotlighting the history and evolution of cereal.
In August 2021, production crews visited "The Cereal City," visiting the Calhoun County Visitors Bureau and its Cereal History Exhibit, Post Foods' factory, the Adventist Village, the Battle Creek Federal Center, the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce and the Battle Creek Regional History Museum.
According to a press release, the show will "look at America's go-to breakfast which has withstood the test of time, but the story of cereal is anything but dry with its shockingly salacious origins."
Birth of an industry
The story goes that with Dr. John Harvey Kellogg as supervisor, younger brother Will Keith Kellogg was working in the experimental kitchen of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in 1894 when he accidently left some boiled wheat berry sitting out, causing it to grow stale.
Rather than throw it out, the brothers sent it through rollers and toasted it, resulting in "flakes" they would then serve to Sanitarium patients. Thus, cereal flakes were born.
The Kellogg brothers had a well-documented feud stemming from the addition of sugar and the commercial appeal of their products, a dispute that would lead W.K. to split off and form his own business in 1906, the "Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company," now known as the Kellogg Co.
Corn flakes not invented for the reason many think
The "salacious" aspect of cereal's origin is likely a commentary on the commonly held belief that corn flakes were created as an anti-masturbatory cereal.
Snopes.com, a website that verifies or debunks urban legends, rates this claim as "mostly false," finding the cereal was never advertised as an "anti-masturbatory morning meal," contrary to countless google searches, articles and internet memes.
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J.H. Kellogg believed in a diet centered around bland food that was easy to digest and nutritious, part of what he called "biologic living." His treatments were grounded in his Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, including vegetarianism and sexual abstinence. He was reportedly celibate during his four-decade long marriage.
Though he advocated for a bland diet to discourage masturbation, there is no evidence Dr. Kellogg was referring specifically to corn flakes.
"The Messy History of American Food" will additionally focus on burgers (May 11), soda and bread (May 18), wings and chocolate (May 25). Discovery+ is available on major digital media platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast.
Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
MESSY HISTORY OF AMERICAN FOOD
• Premier: May 11 - "The Messy History of Cereal"/"The Messy History of Burgers"
• Streaming network: Discovery+ (available on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast)
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Discovery+ digs into the 'messy history' of cereal in new series
