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Corn flakes grew out of an accident in 1894, when the Kellogg brothers, who ran the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, left a batch of boiled wheat standing. It went stale, and when rolled it broke into flakes instead of a sheet. Later they made the flakes from corn.

Battle Creek, Michigan, 1894

FoodHistory

The story behind the card

John Harvey Kellogg, a doctor, ran the sanitarium as a health resort built on a strict vegetarian diet, and his younger brother Will Keith managed its business. They were looking for an easily digested food for patients. Family members later told the story of the discovery in different ways, and who did what, including the part played by John's wife, Ella, is still disputed. The standing time had let moisture spread evenly through the grains, so each one pressed into a separate flake. Patients liked the flakes, and the brothers later switched to corn. They fell out when Will wanted to add sugar and sell to the public; in 1906 he founded the company that became Kellogg's, and he won the legal fight over the family name.

Türkçe oku
Mısır gevreği 1894'te bir kazayla doğdu: Michigan'daki Battle Creek Sanatoryumu'nu yöneten Kellogg kardeşler, haşlanmış buğdayı bir süre ortada unuttu. Bayatlayan buğday merdaneden geçirilince tek parça yerine ince pullara ayrıldı. Kardeşler sonradan aynı gevreği mısırdan yaptı.
Battle Creek, Michigan, 1894

Doktor John Harvey Kellogg sanatoryumu sıkı bir vejetaryen beslenmeye dayanan bir sağlık merkezi olarak yönetiyor, küçük kardeşi Will Keith de işlerin idaresine bakıyordu. Hastalar için kolay sindirilen bir yiyecek arıyorlardı. Aile üyeleri buluşu sonradan farklı biçimlerde anlattı; John'un eşi Ella'nın payı dâhil, kimin ne yaptığı hâlâ tartışmalı. Bekleme süresinde nem tanelere eşit dağılmış, böylece her tane ayrı bir pul hâlinde yassılmıştı. Hastalar gevreği sevdi; kardeşler sonra buğday yerine mısıra geçti. Will şeker ekleyip ürünü herkese satmak isteyince araları açıldı. Will 1906'da sonradan Kellogg's adını alacak şirketi kurdu ve aile adı için açılan davayı da kazandı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Corn flakes
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