A cracker is a flat, dry baked biscuit typically made with flour. Flavorings or seasonings, such as salt, herbs, seeds, or cheese, may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before or after baking.[1] Crackers are often branded as a nutritious and convenient way to consume a staple food or cereal grain.

Cracker
Created byunknown
Main ingredientswheat flour, water
Variationspapadum, senbei and num kreab
Reproduction of 19th-century hardtack, in the Army (square) and Navy (round) styles

Crackers can be eaten on their own, but can also accompany other food items such as cheese or meat slices, fruits, dips, or soft spreads such as jam, butter, peanut butter, or mousse. Bland or mild crackers are sometimes used as a palate cleanser in food product testing or flavor testing, between samples. Crackers may also be crumbled and added to soup.[2] The modern cracker is somewhat similar to nautical ship's biscuits,[3] military hardtack, chacknels,[4] and sacramental bread. Other early versions of the cracker can be found in ancient flatbreads, such as lavash, pita, matzo, flatbrød, and crispbread. Asian analogues include papadum, senbei and num kreab.

The characteristic holes found in many crackers are called "docking" holes. The holes are poked in the dough to stop overly large air pockets from forming in the cracker while baking.

History

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Modern crackers are the end product of what started as a convenience food for soldiers and sailors, recorded as far back as 1190. Known as hard tack or ship's biscuit, they were made out of a mixture of grain and/or legume flour and water, shaped into tablets, then baked until brick hard. The low moisture content allowed these tablets to be stored for long periods of time with no loss of nutritional value. Mixed with coffee, soup, or even sea water, the hard biscuits could be softened before consuming.[5] They were an important part of a British sailor's diet until the introduction of canned food in the 1800s[6], although the product remained a staple for soldiers during the American Civil War. Not having ready access to wheat, Confederate soldiers made a similar item using ground corn, known as “corn dodgers” or “Johnny cakes".[7]

In 1836, Jonathan Dodgson Carr, who owned a mill and bakery in Carlisle, England, began milling wheat for his Table Water biscuits.[8] Made of flour and water,[9] the recipe was derived directly from hard tack, but rolled much thinner.[10] As a thin, crisp cracker, water biscuits were more palatable than hard tack but still suitable for long-term storage by sailors and travelers.[11]

Types

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There are two major types of crackers: soda (or saltine), which are fermented and leavened with yeast; and snack crackers, which are, in most cases, chemically-leavened. Soda crackers normally do not contain added sugar and the fat or shortening level is quite low.[12] Another type of cracker uses no leavening, such as matzah[13], water crackers (also known as water biscuits)[14], and Triscuits.[15]

Crackers come in many shapes and sizes, such as round, rectangular, triangular, or irregular. Crackers sometimes have cheese or spices as ingredients, or even chicken stock.

Saltines and oyster crackers are often used in or served with soup. Similar crackers include cream crackers and water biscuits.

Cheese crackers are prepared using cheese as a main ingredient. Commercial examples include Cheez-It, Cheese Nips and Goldfish.

Graham crackers and digestive biscuits are treated more like cookies than crackers, although they were both invented for their supposed health benefits, and modern graham crackers are sweet. Similarly, animal crackers are crackers in name only. Animal crackers and graham crackers may have docking holes.

Brands

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Cracker brands include Bremner Wafers, Captain's Wafers, Cheese Nips, Club Crackers, Goldfish crackers, In a Biskit, Jacob's, Ritz Crackers, Town House crackers, Triscuit, TUC, and Wheat Thins.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Manley, D. (2011). Manley's Technology of Biscuits, Crackers and Cookies. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. Elsevier Science. ISBN 978-0-85709-364-6. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "The right moves for soup sippers". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Archived from the original on 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  3. ^ Gooii. "Hardtack (Ships Biscuits) recipe - Cookit!". cookit.e2bn.org. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  4. ^ Raffald, Elizabeth (1818). The Experienced English Housekeeper: For the Use and Ease of Ladies, Housekeepers, Cooks, &c.: Written Purely from Practice, and Dedicated to the Hon. Lady Elizabeth Warburton, Whom the Author Lately Served as Housekeeper, Consisting of Near Nine Hundred Original Receipts, Most of which Never Appeared in Print ... with Two Plans of a Grand Table of Two Covers and a Curious New Invented Fire Stove Wherein Any Common Fuel May be Burnt Instead of Charcoal. James Webster.
  5. ^ Eastmond, Nigel. "Water biscuits – The Nosey Chef". Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  6. ^ "The ship's biscuit". Royal Museums Greenwich www.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved June 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Hardtack during the Civil War - Manassas National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  8. ^ "Company History". Carr's Group. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  9. ^ "What Are Water Crackers and What Are They Made Of? | Sporked". 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  10. ^ Eastmond, Nigel. "Water biscuits – The Nosey Chef". Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  11. ^ Talha, Muhammad (2024-09-03). "Are Jacob Cream Crackers Water Crackers? Discover the Key Differences! » Belconi.com.my". Belconi.com.my. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  12. ^ "Crackers | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia". 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  13. ^ "The Origins of Matzah, Passover's 4,450-Year-Old Food". Reform Judaism. Archived from the original on 2025-05-19. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  14. ^ "What Are Water Crackers and What Are They Made Of? | Sporked". 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  15. ^ "Triscuit Original Crackers Family Size 12.5 oz oz - SmartLabel™". smartlabel.mondelez.info. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
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