A cracker is a flat, dry baked biscuit typically made with

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

. Flavorings or seasonings, such as

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, herbs,

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s, or

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

, may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before or after baking. Crackers are often branded as a nutritious and convenient way to consume a

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

or cereal grain. Army and Navy hard tack

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. The modern cracker is somewhat similar to nautical ship's biscuits, military

hardtack Hardtack (or hard tack) is a type of dense Cracker (food), cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyage ...

, chacknels, 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.

Types

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. Another type of cracker uses no leavening, such as

matzah Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah ('','' : matzot or Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashk. matzos) is an Unleavened bread, unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' (lea ...

, water crackers (also known as water biscuits), and Triscuits. Crackers come in many shapes and sizes, such as round, rectangular, triangular, or irregular. Crackers sometimes have

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

s as ingredients, or even

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

stock. Saltines and oyster crackers are often used in or served with

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

. 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

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.

Gallery

File:Arare.jpg, Arare, small Japanese rice crackers File:Cheez-It-Crackers.jpg, Cheez-It crackers made by Kellogg File:Goldfish-Crackers.jpg,

Cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar, Somerset, Cheddar in ...

flavored Goldfish crackers File:Graham-Cracker-Stack.jpg, Graham crackers which are lightly sweet rather than savory File:Oyster Crackers.jpg, A bowl of oyster crackers File:RitzCrackers.jpg, Ritz Crackers File:Saltine-Crackers.JPG, Saltine crackers File:Japanese Senbeis.jpg, Japanese Senbei rice cracker File:Triscuit-Crackers.jpg, Triscuit shredded wheat crackers File:WaterBiscuit-Trio.jpg, Trio of Water biscuits: Left: Supermarket own brand, Right: Excelsior from Jamaica, Top: Carr's Table Cracker

References

External links

Website of Bent's Cookie Factory in Milton, MA, purveyors of "water crackers" and hardtack during the American Civil War

{{Authority control Snack foods Wheat dishes

Types

Brands

Gallery

See also

References

External links