Alternative names | Soda cracker |
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Type | Cracker |
Place of origin | United States |
Main ingredients | Flour, yeast, and baking soda |
A saltine or soda cracker is a thin, usually square cracker made from white flour, yeast, and baking soda, with most varieties lightly sprinkled with coarse salt. It has perforations over its surface, as well as a distinctively dry and crisp texture.
Some familiar brand names of saltine crackers in North America are Christie's Premium Plus (Canada), Nabisco's Premium (U.S.), Sunshine Biscuits' Krispy (U.S.), Keebler's Zesta (U.S.) (both owned by Kellogg's), and Noel's Dux (Columbia) (owned by Grupo Nutresa). Unsalted tops as well as whole grain saltines can also be found.
Saltines are commonly eaten as a light snack, often with cheese, butter, or peanut butter. They may also be dipped or crumbled in stews, chilis, soups or crumbled into salads. Typically they are sold in boxes containing two to four stacks of crackers, each wrapped in a sleeve of waxed paper or plastic. In restaurants, they are found in small wrapped packets of two crackers, which generally accompany soup or salad. Cracker meal, a type of coarse to semi-fine flour made of crushed saltine crackers, may be used as toppings for dishes; breading for fried or baked red meats, poultry, fish ; or as a thickener for soups, stews, sauces, and chilis.
As a home remedy, saltines are consumed by many people in order to ease nausea and to settle an upset stomach. Pregnant women are also usually advised to snack on saltines. Saltine crackers have also been included in military field rations (Meal, Ready-to-Eat, or MRE) in the United States. For some children in the eastern United States, Saltines are a traditional Christmas night treat.