Have You Ever Wondered Why We Pour Milk Over Cereal?
Now, regardless of what side you stand on in the milk before or after cereal debate, we can all agree that this pair together is nothing short of legendary. The neutral flavor of milk brings out the sweetness of cornflakes, making it the perfect breakfast meal or snack.
So, you may be a bit surprised that the ingrained tradition of pouring milk over cereal was first done in order to soften granula, one of cereal's earliest ancestors. According to Mental Floss, James Caleb Jackson, the creator of granula, double baked his creation in order to produce bits of flour that were a filling and satisfying meal for breakfast. Jackson used Reverend Sylvester Graham's graham crackers to make granula, which made the new breakfast food sweet.
At the time, breakfast was mostly foods such as bacon, eggs, and other sorts of meat, and Jackson's invention was vegetarian, making it an appealing alternative.
We can thank Jackson's mother for cereal milk
However, one of the drawbacks of granula was how hard it was to chew. Jackson's mother, Lucretia, wrote that in order to soften the texture, granula needed to be soaked in milk or warm water. Many people caught onto this, including John Harvey Kellogg, who created his own granola (changing the spelling for legal purposes) and the famous Kellogg's Corn Flakes.
Milk was also found as a better complement to cereal than other liquids, such as water. Mental Floss stated that a study published in the Journal of Food Science explained that this was because the fat in milk attaches itself to cereal. This allows cereal to retain its crunchy texture, despite being soaked in a liquid.
Now, you may get weird looks for enjoying cereal alone. Milk just brings out and adds to the flavor of cereal. Not to mention that the end product, cereal milk, is equally delicious as the pair that makes it, which is more of a reason to keep enjoying milk with cereal.