Benjamin Boster

Those who buy commercially baked hardtack in the contiguous U.S.

are often those who stock up on long-lasting foods for disaster and 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 U.S.

are Civil War reenactors.

The Third U.S.

regular infantry reenactors, for example, often cook many recipes during their reenacting camps to include hardtack.

A cracker is a flat, dry, baked biscuit typically made with flour.

Flavorings or seasonings such as salt, herbs, seeds or cheese may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before or after baking.

Crackers are often branded as a nutritious and convenient way to consume a staple food or cereal grain.

Crackers can be eaten on their own, but can also accompany other food items, such as cheese or meat slices, fruits, dips, or soft spreads, such as jam, butter, peanut butter, or mousse.

Bland or mild crackers are sometimes used as a palate cleanser and food product testing or flavor testing between samples.

Crackers may also be crumbled and added to soup.

The modern cracker is somewhat similar to nautical ship's biscuits, military hardtack, chacknels, and sacramental bread.

Other early versions of the cracker can be found in ancient flatbreads, such as lavash, pita, matzo, flatbrew, and crispbread.

Asian analogues include papadum, senbei, and numkriub.

The characteristic holes found in many crackers are called docking holes.

The holes are poked in the dough to stop overly large air pockets from forming in the cracker while baking.

Modern crackers are the end product of what started as a convenience food for soldiers and sailors, recorded as far back as 1190.

Known as hardtack or ship's biscuit, they were made out of a mixture of grain and or legume flour and water, shaped into tablets, then baked until brick hard.

The low moisture content allowed these tablets to be stored for long periods of time with no loss of nutritional value.