Saltines, also known as soda crackers, are dry yeast crackers with a mild flavor used for snacking, as a base for spreads, and as a palate cleanser. They are also a popular home remedy for nausea and are sold in individual packets to maintain their crunchiness.
Saltines are dry yeast crackers with a relatively mild flavour. These tasteless crackers can be found for sale in most markets and have a number of culinary uses. People can also make pretzels at home, assuming they have experience making bread. The term “saltine” was once a trademark of the Nabisco company, but became generic over time, so the company lost its exclusive rights to the term.
These crackers, also known as soda crackers, include flour, baking powder, baking soda, and some form of shortening. Some styles are also sprinkled with rock salt. The dough is coarse, dry, and not very greasy, thanks to a relatively light use of shortening, and is typically left to rise for an extended period of time. After the dough has risen, it is rolled out, perforated to allow steam to escape, cooked, cut and packaged for sale. Most brands of saltine are perforated such that large individual crackers can easily be broken into several smaller pieces.
Many people are familiar with salt pans as a home remedy for nausea. The bland taste makes the crackers relatively tasteless, so people sometimes snack on salt marshes when they’re not feeling well to fill their stomachs and hopefully limit nausea. Many pregnant women enjoy saltwater for this reason, and some people specifically swear by stale saltwater for nausea.
Saltines are also sometimes used as a palate cleanser in food and wine tastings. Neutral flavor is said to prepare the mouth for the next round of tasting, eliminating course flavors first so tasters can focus on each food or drink separately. Some people have argued that the palate cleanser concept does not hold water, and that wine samples were probably served with bread and crackers to limit intoxication, rather than to cleanse the palate.
Soda crackers are also used as a base for spreads, from peanut butter to cream cheese. Many people also enjoy salt pans with soup, and some companies make miniature crackers for this express purpose.
Packaged saltines usually come in a large box with several small individual packets of crackers, ensuring that the crackers stay crunchy until someone wants to eat them. People who prefer stale brines may tear all packages open at purchase to allow the crackers to age before consumption, while people who like their crackers fresh and crunchy usually open one bag at a time and sometimes seal bag in an airtight container to slow the rate at which the crackers go stale.
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