Saltine crackers are one of the best-selling types of crackers in the world, but the history of these crackers dates back to the early 1800s when a bakery came up with the original recipe. Nabisco is one of the brands most often associated with the crackers, but today, any type of cracker with salt on the top can be called a saltine cracker.
The precursor to the modern-day saltine cracker was something known as soda crackers or saltina crackers. These crackers were similar in shape and size, but had a slightly different taste than the crackers of today. In Newburyport, Massachusetts, a business by the name of Pearson & Sons Bakery began producing something known as pilot bread, which was similar to what sailors ate on their ships. It was dense and hard, but it was the traditionally accepted cracker.
Video of the Day
Credit for the saltine cracker goes to the Josiah Bent Bakery in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The owner of the bread watched the sales of pilot bread from their competitor and in 1801 decided to create a better-tasting cracker that could still be taken on ships and carried around in different ports. After experimenting with different types of crackers, the bakery finally came up with a cracker that had a light flavor but was still crisp. These crackers were called soda crackers.
The first name-brand saltine cracker was released in 1876. The Premium brand used the traditional recipe and mass-produced small square crackers with salt dusted on the top. The company was best known for their slogan, "Polly wants a cracker?" which ran in advertisements and on cracker boxes. Nabisco took over Premium and registered the word Saltine as a trademark. They were one of the first companies to use computers in their production, which they used in the manufacturing of saltine crackers.
In the 1920s, saltine crackers reached the masses because of the success of the Premium brand. Prior to that time, the crackers were well-known in parts of Missouri, where the brand was founded and the factory was located (Thomas L. Green kept the saltine in St. Louis). In the 1920s, Premium began distributing the recipe and crackers to other parts of the country, which helped the crackers to grow in popularity.
The rise in popularity of saltine crackers can be directly traced back to the 1930s and the years following the Great Depression. Americans had little money and needed products that were inexpensive but flavorful. Around that time, saltine crackers were mass-produced and available from different shops and brands. People could use these crackers as a filler in foods such as meatloaf to stretch out the amount, or use them with a soup to make the meal more filling, without spending a lot of money.
Crackers ni moja ya aina ya keki zinazouzwa zaidi ulimwenguni, lakini historia ya crackers hizi inarudi nyuma hadi mapema miaka ya 1800 wakati bakery ilikuja na kichocheo cha awali. Nabisco ni moja ya bidhaa ambazo mara nyingi huhusishwa na biskuti, lakini leo, aina yoyote ya biskuti yenye chumvi juu inaweza kuitwa biskuti ya chumvi. Kabla ya biskuti ya kisasa ya chumvi ilikuwa kitu kinachojulikana kama biskuti za soda au biskuti za chumvi. Keki hizo zilikuwa na umbo na ukubwa unaofanana, lakini zilikuwa na ladha tofauti kidogo na zile za leo. "Katika Newburyport, Massachusetts, biashara ya Pearson & Sons ilianza kutengeneza ""mkate wa majaribio,"" ambao ulikuwa sawa na ule ambao mabaharia walikula kwenye meli zao." Ilikuwa nzito na ngumu, lakini ilikuwa cracker iliyokubaliwa kwa kawaida. Video ya Siku Mikopo kwa ajili ya cracker saltine huenda kwa Josiah Bent Bakery katika Newburyport, Massachusetts. Mtaalamu wa mkate wa kwanza wa Uingereza, Peter Pike, aliamua kuunda mkate wa kwanza wa mvinyo wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate wa mkate. Baada ya kujaribu aina mbalimbali za keki, hatimaye kiwanda hicho cha kuoka mikate kilipata keki yenye ladha nyepesi lakini yenye ladha nyangavu. Keki hizo ziliitwa keki za soda. Keki ya kwanza ya mchele ilitengenezwa mwaka 1876. Bidhaa ya Premium ilitumia kichocheo cha jadi na kutengeneza biskuti ndogo za mraba zenye chumvi juu. Kampuni hiyo ilijulikana sana kwa kauli mbiu yao, "Polly anataka biskuti?" Hii ni kwa sababu ya matangazo ya biashara na vifurushi vya biskuti. Nabisco ilichukua Premium na kusajili neno Saltine kama alama ya biashara. Kampuni hiyo ilikuwa mojawapo ya makampuni ya kwanza kutumia kompyuta katika utengenezaji wa biskuti za chumvi. Katika miaka ya 1920, biskuti za chumvi zilifikia watu wengi kwa sababu ya mafanikio ya chapa ya Premium. Kabla ya wakati huo, crackers walikuwa maarufu katika sehemu za Missouri, ambapo brand ilianzishwa na kiwanda ilikuwa iko (Thomas L. Green kuweka saltine katika St. Louis). Katika miaka ya 1920, Premium ilianza kusambaza kichocheo na biskuti katika sehemu nyingine za nchi, ambayo ilisaidia biskuti kukua katika umaarufu. Kuongezeka kwa umaarufu wa biskuti za chumvi kunaweza kufuatiliwa moja kwa moja hadi miaka ya 1930 na miaka iliyofuata Mshuko Mkubwa wa Kiuchumi. Wamarekani walikuwa na pesa chache na walihitaji bidhaa zisizo na bei ghali lakini zenye ladha. Karibu na wakati huo, biskuti zenye chumvi zilitengenezwa kwa wingi na zilipatikana katika maduka na bidhaa tofauti-tofauti. Watu wanaweza kutumia biskuti hizi kama kujaza katika vyakula kama vile meatloaf ili kunyoosha kiasi, au kuzitumia na supu ili kufanya chakula zaidi kujaza, bila kutumia pesa nyingi.