The word cracker was first used in North America in the mid-18th century to describe a plain, unsweetened, dry, hard bread product which, when broken into pieces, made a cracking noise, says Alan Davidson in his new book, The Oxford Companion to Food .
Saltine crackers are a staple in the cupboards of all of our panelists.
And if you run out of bread while making sandwiches, use crackers instead. The kids will think it's very creative. While both Fox and Ryan like saltines topped with very cold, salted butter, William Walker likes his with peanut butter. We tasted seven different brands of saltine crackers, and the panel was very surprised to discover that there were definite differences in taste. The winner turned out to be the one that is probably the best known, Premium Saltines.