Suddenly, I decide to look up corn flakes and how they’re made. I google the term, and I find several sites, Wikipedia included, that explain that the history of the corn flake is a serendipitous result of the inventors (the Kellogs) leaving some wheat out too long. They dried it, ran it through rollers, etc. to reconstitute it, but somehow - voila! - corn flakes. Corn flakes!!! From wheat? Does anyone know the true story, or is this one just destined to be copied from site to site? Corn flakes don’t come from wheat. Otherwise, wouldn’t they be called…Wheat flakes? Or do they? Dopers, any help? xo, C.
I don’t know if there is a legacy, but in old English, “corn” just means any generic grain - wheat, barley, maize, etc.
However, I believe that Cornflakes are made from “corn” as in maize. And in fact though the US Kellogg’s site says “corn” as the primary ingredient of the flakes, the British one says “maize”.
Ok, well, this, also from Wikipedia, indicates that the corn flakes came from wheat.
“This idea for corn flakes began by accident when Dr. Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, left some cooked wheat to sit, while they attended to some pressing matters at the sanitarium. When they returned, they found that the wheat had gone stale, but being on a strict budget, they decided to continue to process it by forcing it through rollers, hoping to obtain long sheets of the dough. To their surprise, what they found instead were flakes, which they toasted and served to their patients. This event occurred on April 14, 1894, and a patent for “Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same” was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896, under the name Granose.”
As to the definition of corn, I presume that Dr. Kellogg, being in America in the late 19th century, made a distinction between corn and wheat. I believe that this rendition from Wiki, as well as a handful of others I saw, are just repeating the same story. The Kellogg website isn’t much better, finessing the matter. I think they probably did discover wheat flakes that way, and then experimented with corn, leading to the product, Granose.
I don’t see the confusion. Here’s what the Wikipedia entry on corn flakes says:
Emphasis added.
And you can certainly still buy wheat flakes (aka Wheaties.) I’ve also seen oat flakes. And those bran flakes you see, they’re made from wheat bran. Corn just ended up being the most popular.
I don’t see anything in that paragraph that says that they called the flakes that they made from wheat “corn flakes” (note in particular the title of the patent that you mention). Accidentally making flakes from their stale wheat gave them the idea for making flaked cereals, in particular corn flakes.
The wheat flakes were Granose and not the product Corn Flakes. Corn Flakes were later and they are always made from corn. Maybe the writers on these pages should be less obfuscated, and plainly state Corn Flakes have always been made from corn. Kellogg stumbled upon wheat flakes which later inspired him to make Corn Flakes from corn.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I may have misread them, but I think they’re wrong the way they’re written. At best, misleading. In any event, I have my question answered, so the mods can blow this one up, if desired.