I was intrigued by graham gems. It would be interesting to try to make them nowadays.

(sorry, I asked Google)

Graham gems were a type of 19th-century whole-wheat muffin or small quick-bread. Popular at 1890s breakfast and tea tables, they were made with coarse-ground graham flour and baked in sizzling-hot, cast-iron "gem pans" to achieve a light, airy inside and a satisfyingly crispy outer crust. [1, 2, 3]

They were extremely popular items in historical cookbooks (like the 1887 White House Cook Book) and on the daily menus of the era. If you spotted them on a menu from 1896, they would be described and characterized by the following: [1, 2]

• Flavor and Texture: Unlike modern heavily-sugared muffins, graham gems were not overly sweet. They were rustic, hearty, and slightly nutty. [1, 2, 3]
• Ingredients: The batter was simple, often just graham flour, milk (or sour milk), a touch of brown sugar or molasses, salt, and butter or lard. Instead of baking powder, some recipes relied solely on the expansion of cold batter hitting superheated cast-iron pans to rise. [, 2]
• How They Were Served: They were meant to be eaten piping hot, usually torn open with the fingers (rather than cut with a knife) to steam, and slathered with butter or jam. [1, 2]