Benjamin Boster

Mixed with coffee, soup, or even sea water, the hard biscuits could be softened before consuming.

They were an important part of a British sailor's diet until the introduction of canned food in the 1800s, although the product remained a staple for soldiers during the American Civil War.

Not having ready access to weed, Confederate soldiers made a similar item using ground corn, known as corn dodgers or johnny cakes.

In 1836, Jonathan Dodgson Carr, who owned a mill and bakery in Carlisle, England, began milling wheat for his table water biscuits.

Made of flour and water, the recipe was derived directly from hardtack, but rolled much thinner.

As a thin crisp cracker, water biscuits were more palatable than hardtack,

but still suitable for long-term storage by sailors and travelers.

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.

Examples are matzah, 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 cheese or spices as ingredients, or even chicken stock.

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

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, modern versions of both are sweet.

Similarly, animal crackers are crackers in name only.

Animal crackers and graham crackers may have docking holes.