Despite the name, Post’s popular cereal “Grape-Nuts” actually contains no grapes nor nuts. Instead, this well-loved and well-known cereal is made from wheat and barley. Packed with nutrients, you’ll find whole grain wheat, wheat flour, sugar, malted barley flour, canola oil, salt, but no grapes or nuts!

Grape-Nuts cereal has actually been around for much longer than one might expect—it’s been a part of American history for over 100 years. Grape-Nuts was developed by C.W. Post in 1897, and has been a popular breakfast and snack food for generations. It’s a popular and healthy choice, packed with iron, zinc, B vitamins, riboflavin, vitamin D3 and folic acid. Health-conscious people often reach for this cereal as it is a great energy booster.

Some might say that Grape-Nuts cereal is responsible for the creation of the Andy Griffith Show. Post Cereal sponsored a late-1950s TV series called The Danny Thomas Show. However, the content of the show was centered around a family that did not match Post’s wholesome family image. In one specific episode of the show that promoted Grape-Nuts, the main character Danny Thomas visited a fictional town where audiences were introduced to the character Sheriff Andy Taylor. Viewers fell in love with him and a spinoff was created: The Andy Griffith Show. Thanks to this Grape-Nuts promotional episode, America was given a beloved television show that would entertain families for years to come.

So why is this cereal that contains no grapes nor nuts, referred to as “Grape-Nuts?”

There are two different theories out there. The first one says that Mr. Post thought glucose, which he called “grape sugar,” was created as the cereal was baked. This grape sugar, mixed with the natural nutty flavor of the cereal, is said to have inspired the name. Another theory says that the cereal itself looks a lot like the tiny seeds found in grapes, or grape ‘nuts’. Regardless how the name was decided upon, Grape-Nuts is a delicious and nutritious snack with quite a rich history in America.

INTERESTING FACTS

  1. Post’s Grape-Nut cereal sponsored Sir Admiral Byrd’s expedition to Antarctica in 1933, where the first two-way transmission occurred. Maps of this expedition were placed on Grape-Nuts boxes.
  2. Grape-Nuts cereal was a part of the Jungle rations that helped feed US and Allied forces on missions to Panama during World War II.
  3. Post originally developed the product as a batter forming a rigid sheet straight from the oven, which would then be run through a coffee grinder to produce the “nuts” or small kernels.

INTERESTING VIDEO

INTERESTING REFERENCES

  1. Grapenuts.com – The Grape-Nuts Story: a part of history
  2. Postconsumerbrands.com – Grape-nuts cereal
  3. Mashed.com – The Untold Truth of Grape Nuts

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Food