Granola still grooves in the Old Pueblo

According to the New York Times, the cold breakfast cereal was the creation of Dr. James Caleb, who ran a sanitarium in upstate New York. It was 1863 and Caleb believed that most health problems lead to the stomach. A healthy cereal would surely cure them. He called it granula.

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who also ran a sanitarium, picked up the banner and mixed wheat flour, oatmeal and cornmeal for his granula. Caleb sued, so that clever Kellogg changed the name to granola. Case closed.

But it was in the late ’60s, the Times reported, that granola really caught on. The hippies sensed that sugar was not at all groovy. Besides, granola can be eaten by the handful — no milk, no bowl necessary. Good energy midway through a Grateful Dead concert.

And because they were hippies, they made their own.

The basic ingredients: baked rolled oats — good for the heart (and gluten free, provided they were processed in a facility that doesn’t also process wheat, rye and barley); nuts and or seeds — they have lots of Omega-3s, and a healthy fat, such as coconut oil.

From there, the sky is the limit. Raisins, cinnamon, dried coconut, dried fruit — it’s all good. And all healthy.

Those hippies have grown up. Many have busy lives. Making it may not be a priority.

No worries — Tucson restaurants still serve up the crunchy goodness.

Here are a few:

Epic Cafe, 745 N. Fourth Ave., 624-6844, epiccafe.com.

You can get your granola all day long here. They mix almonds, and sesame and pumpkin seeds with the oats, throw in some dried cranberries and lightly add honey and brown sugar to give it a touch of sweetness. It’s $3.75 for a bowl with milk, or $5 if you have it with Greek yogurt and berries.

Caffe Luce Coffee Roasting Company, 245 E. Congress St., 623-4477, on Facebook.

Caffe Luce has three locations in town, but the Congress location is the only one that serves up granola. Sam Rushford is one of the granola makers there, and she’s proud of her product. “Everyone says I make the best,” she says. She adds walnuts, sunflower seeds, a little coconut oil, a blend of spices such as cloves and cinnamon, and sweetens it with a bit of agave. A bowl with milk at Caffe Luce is $4; add yogurt or fruit and it’s $7.

Beyond Bread, 421 W. Ina Road (461-1111); 3026 N. Campbell Ave. (322-9965); 6260 E. Speedway (747-7477), beyondbread.com.

The oats are mixed with a generous amount of almonds, walnuts, pecans and sunflower seeds. Honey sweetens it up a tad, and black currant and golden raisins hold hands with dried cranberries and apricots (the dried fruit can vary). A bowl of this Beyond Bread goodness is $4.50. And here is the best part: For $7.50, you can take a sealed package weighing about a pound home with you.

Le Buzz Caffe, 9121 E. Tanque Verde Road, 749-3903, lebuzzcaffe.com.

It’s worth a trip to this far-east-side cafe for the granola, which has a sprinkle of cinnamon, a healthy dose of peanuts and almonds and lots of dried fruit. It’s topped with berries, if you like, and will set you back $6. A one-pound take-home package is $8.

Arizona Inn, 2200 E Elm St., 325-1541, arizonainn.com

Arizona Inn’s granola has been a staple on the menu for a long, long time. And no wonder — pecans and dried cranberries are thrown in, as well as coconut, almonds and sunflower seeds. You can chow down a bowl of granola for $8; add yogurt and or fruit and it’s another $5. Or here’s an option — party like it’s 1967 and make your own. The Arizona Inn shared its recipe — it’s for 1 gallon, but one of the nice things about granola is it stores well.