Common Crackers for an Unexpected Treat

Common Cracker: The Exhibit

Through January 28, 2023 

Vermont History Museum 

109 State Street, Pavilion Building 

Montpelier, Vermont 

 

 

 

Have you ever visited a historical recreation of an old-time general store? Chances are good it features a large wooden barrel near the counter, perhaps with a checkers board atop it. If you thought it once held Saltines, let me make a counter claim. That’s a pun on my on my part, but those barrels were filled with “common crackers” not Saltines.  

 

 

 

I recently visited the Vermont History Museum and found myself fascinated by a common crackers exhibit I assumed would be as boring as waiting for the laundry to finish. If you are unfamiliar with this humble culinary offering, they are about 2 inches in diameter, about the size of a Ritz cracker, though it bears little resemblance to the flaky, buttery, and additive-laden Ritz wafers.  

 

 

 

Common crackers were a staple of the 19th century New England diet if for no other reason, they kept forever in an age of rudimentary refrigeration. Non-knowers confuse them with oyster crackers, but those are much smaller–about 5/8” in diameter–though they share the quality of being relatively tasteless. Common crackers are also sometimes confused with hardtack, but the latter –a favored food of long-range travelers like sailors and cowboys­– is much less palatable. As its name suggests it's like chewing on a piece of board, though worms seem to like them. Unlike hardtack, common crackers contain yeast. They are meticulously kneaded, rise for 24 hours, baked, and air dried. This makes them puffier and easier to split, which means you can put yummy things inside of them, such as cheddar cheese or butter and jam.

 

Relatives of ours who grew up in Massachusetts devoured a dish called “cracker toast.” Common crackers were placed in a bowl of warm milk into which butter had been melted, and a dash of salt was added. It creates a sort of mush, not exactly gourmet dining, but it’s surprisingly warming winter fare. A similar concoction is called “cracker and milk” in other parts of New England. Common crackers proved to have many other uses as well; they could be crumbled and used to coat other foods and, according to no less an expert than Julia Child, provide a unique substitute for oyster crackers in chowder. 

 

 

 

Before you dismiss the common cracker, know that millions were produced in Vermont during the 19th century. Who actually invented them is contestable. Theodore Pearson of Newburyport MA claimed credit, but his crackers are thought to be more of a cousin to yeast-less hardtack. Another Bay Stater claims he invented the common cracker in 1801, Artemus Kennedy of Arlington, MA said he did in1805, and to confuse matters more, an English immigrant to New Jersey claims he did so in 1842. You might encounter the term “Boston Crackers,” though today they are allegedly softer than the originals. Maine also got into the act; Portland Crackers were a thing.

 

 

 Vermonters responded that other claimants made prototypes of oyster crackers and the real deal was made by the Orton family in the 1820s. The Cross clan certainly invented the first machine to mass produce crackers in 1847, when Vermonters consumed common crackers with glee and in great volume. Before the 20th century dawned, it was as if every town in Vermont had its own common cracker: Burlington, Brattleboro, Morrisville, Montpelier, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, and a concern that straddled the White River/Hanover NH sides of the Connecticut River.  

 

The triumph of corporations doomed most of the small concerns and changed consumer palettes. Saltines dominate, but they are made by Nabisco, a multinational giant. Common crackers haven't disappeared, though. Hannaford's still sells them and the Vermont Country Store will mail you a reusable tin filled with common crackers they claim are based on the 1828 Orton recipe. You can also find items that that come in various colors and flavors, though they are abominations IMHO. 

 

With the holiday season upon us with all manner of sugary, caloric offerings, why not give the humble common cracker a taste drive? If you can, stop by Montpelier to unearth a fascinating chapter from the past. If that doesn't make you want to try common crackers, I can't help you.

 

Rob Weir