Robert Chesebrough Robert Chesebrough Robert Augustus Chesebrough, (January 9, 1837 – September 8, 1933) was an American chemist. He discovered petroleum jelly which he marketed as Vaseline and he founded the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company. Born in London to American parents, he was raised in New York City. Chesebrough began his career as a chemist clarifying kerosene from the oil of sperm whales. The discovery of petroleum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, rendered his job obsolete, so he traveled to Titusville to research what new materials might be created from the new fuel. This led to his discovery of petroleum jelly, which he trade-named as
Grass jelly water. Jelly produced in this way has been described as having a leafy neutral or plain flavor. In Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, grass jelly was traditionally served with sugar syrup. Now it is often served mixed with other ingredients, such as mango, sago, watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fresh or canned fruit, and condensed or evaporated milk. Although this dish is sometimes called "liangfen" ("leung fan") in Chinese, it should not be confused with the Chinese starch jelly "liangfen", which is an entirely different dish. Grass jelly is known as "cincau" in Indonesian (it means green grass in Chinese).