Benjamin Boster

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 in 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.

Interbake Foods of Richmond, Virginia produces most of the commercially available hardtack in the United States, under the Sailor Boy label.

As of January 2015, 98% of its production goes to Alaska.

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.

Alaska law requires all light aircraft to carry survival gear, including food.

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.