Hardtack (or hard tack) is a type of dense
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 voyages, land migrations, and military campaigns.
Along with
salt pork and
corned beef, hardtack was a
standard ration for many militaries and navies from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.
Etymology
The name is derived from "tack", the British sailor slang for food. The earliest use of the term recorded by the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' is from 1830.
It is known by other names including ''brewis'' (possibly a
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
with "
brose"), ''cabin bread'', ''pilot bread'', ''sea biscuit'', ''soda crackers'', ''sea bread'' (as rations for sailors), ''ship's biscuit'', and pejoratively as ''
dog biscuits'', ''
molar breakers'', ''sheet iron'', ''tooth dullers'', ''Panzerplatten'' ("''armor plates''"; Germany) and ''worm castles''.
Australian and New Zealand military personnel knew them with some sarcasm as ''
ANZAC wafers'' (not to be confused with
Anzac biscuit).
History
The introduction of the baking of processed cereals, including the creation of flour, provided a more reliable source of food. Egyptian sailors carried a flat brittle loaf of
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
bread called
dhourra cake. A cracker called ''bucellatum'' is known in Ancient Rome.
King Richard I of England left for the
Third Crusade (1189–1192) with "biskit of muslin", which was a mixed grain compound of
barley
Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...
, bean flour, and
rye.
The more refined captain's biscuit was made with finer flour. Some 5th century BCE physicians, such as
Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...
, associated most medical problems with digestion. For sustenance and health, eating a biscuit daily was considered good for one's constitution.
Because hardtack biscuits were baked hard, they would stay intact for years if kept dry. For long voyages, hardtack was baked four times, rather than the more common two, and prepared six months before sailing.
Because it is dry and hard, hardtack, when properly stored and transported, will survive rough handling and temperature extremes.
Dry hardtack is dense and virtually inedible; troops issued it usually made it edible by dampening, or crushing the biscuits.
When
James VI and I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...
set sail for Norway in October 1589, his provisions included 15,000 "bisquit baiks". In 1665,
Samuel Pepys first regularized naval victualling in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
with varied and nutritious rations, to include "one pound daily of good, clean, sweet, sound, well-baked and well-conditioned wheaten biscuit".
By at least 1731, it was officially codified in Naval regulation that each sailor was rationed of biscuit per day.
Hardtack, crumbled or pounded fine and used as a thickener, was a key ingredient in New England seafood
chowders from the late 1700s.
[John Thorne and Matt Lewis Thorne, ''Serious Pig: An American Cook in Search of His Roots''. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1996. pp. 163–166.]
In 1801, Josiah Bent began a baking operation in
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...
, selling "
water crackers" made of flour and water that would be resistant to deterioration during long sea voyages from the port of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. These were also used extensively as a source of food by the
gold prospectors who migrated to the gold mines of
California in 1849. Since the journey took months, hardtack was stored in the
wagon trains. Bent's company later sold the original hardtack crackers used by troops during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The
G. H. Bent Company operated in Milton and sold these items to Civil War re-enactors and others until 2018.

By 1818, the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
had outlined that each sailor was to be given of bread per day as part of their daily ration while serving onboard in the form of hardtack. The procurement of these stores was the responsibility of the ship's
Purser, and was not strictly outlined by the
Board of Navy Commissioners
The Board of Navy Commissioners was a United States Navy administrative body in existence from 1815 to 1842, with responsibility for the navy's material support. The three-member Board was created as part of an expansion of the U.S. Navy Departm ...
.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
(1861–1865), hardtack was shipped from Union and Confederate storehouses.
Civil War soldiers generally found their rations to be unappealing, and joked about the poor quality of the hardtack in the satirical song "
Hard Tack Come Again No More". The song was sung to the tune of the
Stephen Foster song "
Hard Times Come Again No More", and featured lyrics describing the hardtack rations as being 'old and very wormy' and causing many 'stomachs sore'. John Billings, a soldier in the
10th Massachusetts Battery, outlines many details on how hardtack was utilized during the war in his book ''
Hard Tack and Coffee''.

With
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
infestation common in
improperly stored provisions, soldiers would break up the hardtack and drop it into their morning coffee. This would not only soften the hardtack but the insects, mostly
weevil larva
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e, would float to the top, and the soldiers could skim them off and eat the biscuits. The grubs "left no distinctive flavor behind." Some men turned hardtack into a mush by breaking it up with blows from their rifle butts, then adding water. If the men had a frying pan, they could cook the mush into a lumpy
pancake; otherwise they dropped the mush directly on the coals of their campfire. They also mixed hardtack with brown sugar, hot water, and sometimes
whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
to create what they called a pudding, to serve as dessert.
Royal Navy hardtack during
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
's reign was made by machine at the Royal Clarence Victualing Yard at
Gosport,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, stamped with the Queen's mark and the number of the oven in which it was baked. When machinery was introduced into the process, the dough was thoroughly mixed and rolled into sheets about long and wide, which were then stamped in one stroke into about sixty hexagonal shaped biscuits. The hexagonal shape saved material and time and made them easier to pack compared to the traditional circular shaped biscuit.
[''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge'' Vol III (1847), London, Charles Knight, p. 354.] Hardtack remained an important part of the Royal Navy sailor's diet until the introduction of
canned foods; canned meat was first marketed in 1814, and preserved beef in tins was officially introduced to the Royal Navy rations in 1847.
As early as the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
in 1898, some military hardtack was used by service members in etching or writing notes, often commemorating events or coined with phrases of the time.
Cocket bread
Cocket bread was a type of bread in England, as referenced in the
Assize of Bread and Ale (''
temp. incert.'') (c. 1266), where it is one of several kinds of bread named. It seems to have been hard sea-biscuit, which perhaps had then some mark or seal (a
cocket) on it; or else, was so called from its being designed for the use of the
coxswains, or seamen.
["Cocket". ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989]
Modern use
Commercially available hardtack is a significant source of
food energy
Food energy is chemical energy that animals and humans derive from food to sustain their metabolism and muscular activity.
Most animals derive most of their energy from aerobic respiration, namely combining the carbohydrates, fats, and protein ...
in a small, durable package. A store-bought 24-
gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...
cracker can contain 100 calories (20 percent from fat) from 2 grams of
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
but practically no
fiber
Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often inco ...
.
Asia
Ma Bo mentioned hardtack as being a staple food of Chinese hard-labor workers in
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
, during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
.
Hardtack was a staple of military servicemen in Japan and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
well into the late 20th century. It is known as ''Kanpan'' (乾パン) in Japan and ''geonbbang (geonppang, 건빵)'' in South Korea, meaning 'dry bread', and is still sold as a fairly popular snack food in both countries. (Canned kanpan is also distributed in Japan as emergency rations in case of earthquake, flood, or other disaster.) A harder hardtack than Kanpan, called ''Katapan'' (堅パン), is historically popular in
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan as one of its regional specialty foods. In Korea, geonppang (hardtacks) mixed with
byulsatang (star candy) as a medley is considered a popular snack.
Europe
Hardtack, baked with or without the addition of fat, was and still is a staple in Russian military rations, especially in the Navy, as infantry traditionally preferred simple dried bread when long shelf life was needed. Called ''galeta'' (галета) in Russian, it is usually somewhat softer and more crumbly than traditional hardtack, as most varieties made in Russia include at least some fat or shortening, making them closer to
saltine crackers. One such variety, ''khlyebtsy armyeyskiye'' (хлебцы армейские), or "army crackers", is included in Russian
military rations. Other brands enjoy significant popularity among the civilian population as well, both among
campers and the general populace.
In
Genoa, hardtack was and still is a traditional addition to a fish and vegetable salad called
cappon magro.
In
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, hardtack is included in every military ration and colloquially known as ''Panzerplatten'' (armor plates) or Panzerkekse (armor cookies/tank cookies). Due to conscription for many years a large part of the male population knew about them from their service and thus they became somewhat popular even in civilian use. The company that makes them also sells them unaltered to the civilian market. They are said to have many properties, some jokingly assigned, such as the ability to combine them with standard issue
shoe polish
Shoe polish, also known as boot polish and shoeshine, is a waxy paste (rheology), paste, cream (pharmaceutical), cream, or liquid that is used to polish, polishing, shine, and waterproofing, waterproof leather shoes or boots to extend the footwe ...
to create a flammable device, or to glue them onto vehicles to increase their armor protection. One quality, liked by many soldiers, is its ability to hinder one's need to
defecate, some claiming they did not need to defecate for three days after consuming large quantities of them.
In
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, hardtack wafers (known by their official name: ''Suchary Specjalne SU-1'' or ''SU-2 – Special Hardtacks'') are still present in
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
military rations. In military slang they are jokingly called ''Panzerwaffel'' (tank or armor wafers), a pun on ''
Panzerwaffe'', the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' armored motorized forces (the German words ''Panzer'' and ''Waffe'' mean "tank" or "armor" and "weapon", respectively). They are also popular amongst civilians, and are a common part of a meal in some regions.
File:Polish SU-1 Hardtack DB2K4744.jpg, Lithuanian SU-1 hardtack
File:Oldest ship biscuit Kronborg DK cropped.jpg, A ship's biscuit—purportedly ( 1852) the oldest in the world—displayed at the maritime museum in Kronborg, Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
Melanesia
Hardtack remains popular today in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
. The Lae Biscuit Company, which is the most commonly found and popular brand in that country, makes multiple varieties of hardtack.
North America
Canada
Hardtack is a mainstay in parts of Canada.
Purity Factories is one maker of traditional hardtack. They specialize in a high density, high caloric product that is well suited for use by expeditions.
Located in
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, they currently produce three varieties of hardtack:
* The first variety, a cracker similar to a cross between an unsalted saltine and hardtack,
Crown Pilot Crackers. It was a popular item in much of New England and was manufactured by
Nabisco until it was discontinued in the first quarter of 2008. It was discontinued once before, in 1996, but a small uprising by its supporters brought it back in 1997. This variety comes in two sub-varieties, Flaky and Barge biscuits.
* The second is Hard Bread, a traditional hardtack, and is the principal ingredient in
fish and brewis, a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador meal.
* The third variety is Sweet Bread, which is slightly softer than regular hardtack due to a higher sugar and
shortening content, and is eaten as a snack food.
United States
Interbake Foods of
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, produces most of the commercially available hardtack in the United States, under the "Sailor Boy" label. As of January 2015, 98 percent of its production goes to
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. Alaskans are among the last to still eat hardtack as a significant part of their normal diet. Originally imported as a food product that could endure the rigors of transportation throughout Alaska, hardtack has remained a favored food even as other, less robust foods have become more readily available.
Alaskan law requires all
light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997.
Light aircraft are use ...
to carry "survival gear", including food.
[Title AS 02.35.110. Uniform Air Licensing Act, Emergency rations and equipment.](_blank)
/ref> Therefore, the blue-and-white Sailor Boy Pilot Bread boxes are ubiquitous at Alaskan airstrips, in cabins, and in virtually every village. Unlike the traditional hardtack recipe, Sailor Boy Pilot Bread contains leavening and vegetable shortening.
Hardtack is also a common pantry item in Hawaii, and The Diamond Bakery's "Saloon Pilot" cracker is available there in grocery and convenience stores. The round hardtack crackers are available in large- and small-diameter sizes.
Those who buy commercially baked hardtack in the contiguous US are often those who stock up on long-lasting foods for disaster survival rations, though these usually take the form of food ration bars or freeze dried meals rather than traditional hardtack.
Many other people who currently buy or bake hardtack in the US are Civil War re-enactors. The 3rd US Regular Infantry Reenactors, for example, often cook many recipes during their reenacting camps, to include hardtack.
See also
* G. H. Bent Company – Bent's Cookie Factory were purveyors of "water crackers" and hardtack during the American Civil War
* Baati
* Bannock
* Compressed food bar – modern analogue
* Cracker (food)
* Cream cracker
* Crisp bread
* List of breads
* List of crackers
* Matzo
* Meal, Ready-to-Eat
* Pemmican
Pemmican () (also pemican in older sources) is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigeno ...
* Rusk
* Saltine cracker
* Tsampa
* Water biscuit
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
History and Recipe for Hardtack
fro
The American Table
863 American Civil War Hardtack.
{{Authority control
Alaskan cuisine
Biscuits
Crackers (food)
Fur trade
Maritime culture
Military food
Cuisine of the Southwestern United States