Cheese and crackers

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Cheese and crackers
HK CWB Xiang Gang Yi Dong Jiu Dian Excelsior Hotel Cheese Biscuit Dec-2011.jpg
Brie paired with crackers
Course Snack, hors d'oeuvre
Main ingredients Cheese, crackers

Cheese and crackers, also known as cheese and biscuits in the UK, [1] is the pairing of crackers with cheese. Historically the fare of sailors, soldiers, and pioneers,[ citation needed ] cheese and crackers had become a common menu item in American restaurants and bars by the 1850s. Many different types of cheeses and crackers are used and the food is often paired with wine. Cheese and crackers may also be served with fruit preparations or preserves, pickles, stuffed olives and preserved meats, such as salami, pepperoni or various sausages. Mass-produced cheese and crackers include Handi-Snacks, Ritz, Jatz and Lunchables.

Contents

Overview

A selection of cheeses and crackers Cheese and crackers.jpg
A selection of cheeses and crackers

Cheese and crackers is a common snack food or hors d'oeuvre consisting of crackers paired with various cheeses. [2] [3] In the United States it has also been served as a dessert, with the addition of ingredients such as jam, jelly, marmalade or preserves. [2] It is also commonly served at parties in the U.S., and in the Southern United States, it is relatively common for hot chili pepper jelly to be served atop cream cheese and crackers at cocktail parties. [4] [5] [6] Cheese and crackers has a relatively high amount of protein, per the cheese as an ingredient. [7]

Cheese and crackers is a common food pairing that can serve to complement various cheeses, and the dish can be paired with wines. [8] [9] The cheese can be sliced or cubed, and served separately with crackers or pre-placed atop the crackers. [5]

History

Cheese with Three Crackers, a painting by Raphaelle Peale, 1813 Cheese with three crackers raphaelle peale.jpg
Cheese with Three Crackers, a painting by Raphaelle Peale, 1813

Cheese and crackers has been consumed by various sailors such as immigrants, whalers and explorers before refrigeration existed, using hardtack crackers and cheese. [6] It has also been consumed by various land explorers. [6]

United States

Cheese and crackers with cubed cheddar cheese Cheese 46 bg 060106.jpg
Cheese and crackers with cubed cheddar cheese

Cheese and crackers increased in popularity circa the 1850s, when bakers began producing thinner crackers with a lighter texture compared to hard tack. [6] During this time period, the combination was placed on restaurant menus as an after-dessert course and was also served in saloons. [6] Cheese and crackers was a food ration used by soldiers during the American Civil War (1861–1865). [6] Some soldiers at the time referred to cheese and crackers as a "square meal". [6] [10] [11] Cheese and hardtack was consumed along with dried venison meat by Ezra Meeker during his time on the Oregon Trail in 1852. [6] In 1915, mountaineer Philip Rogers consumed cheese and hardtack along with raisins and nuts during his expedition around Mount Rainier in Washington state. [6]

By the beginning of the 20th century, cheese and crackers was being prepared in homes and cooked by baking it and adding additional ingredients after cooking, such as paprika and mustard. At this time, the combination was sometimes served with soups and salads, and was used on salads for decades thereafter. [6] It was also commonly served at parties beginning around this time. [6] It was consumed as a dessert, rather than after-dessert by some during the Great Depression in the United States, and was often consumed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House for dessert and snacks, along with other foods. [6]

Beginning in the 1950s, cheese and crackers was recommended as a snack for children by parenting experts, home economists and authors of cookbooks. [6] Consumption of the snack increased during the mid-1980s when Oscar Mayer introduced its Lunchables product, which included cheese, crackers and lunch meat, and occurred in part to boost the company's lunch meat sales. [6]

Mass production

A Handi-Snack Handi-Snacks - open.jpg
A Handi-Snack

In language

The term "cheese and crackers" was used as a minced oath in the United States in the 1920s (from "Jesus Christ!"), and as a slang term for testicles in the United Kingdom circa the late 1990s. [14] [15] It was the catchphrase of the burlesque comic Billy Hagan. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cracker (food)</span> Flat, dry baked biscuit

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nachos</span> Tortilla chip dish

Nachos are a Tex-Mex culinary dish consisting of tortilla chips or totopos covered with cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats, vegetables, and condiments such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. At its most basic form, nachos may consist of merely chips covered with cheese, and served as an appetizer or snack, while other versions are substantial enough as a main course. The dish was created by, and named after, Mexican restaurateur Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, who created it in 1943 for American customers at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardtack</span> Biscuit often for naval and military use

Hardtack is a type of dense cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages, land migrations, and military campaigns. Along with salt pork and corned beef, hardtack was a standard ration for many militaries and navies from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open sandwich</span> Single slice of bread with food items on top

An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a typical closed sandwich.

Lunchables is an American brand of food and snacks manufactured by Kraft Heinz in Chicago, Illinois, and marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand. They were initially introduced in Seattle in 1988 before being released nationally in 1989. Many Lunchables products are produced in a Garland, Texas, facility, and are then distributed across the United States. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the product is sold as "Dairylea Lunchers" under the Dairylea brand, originally by Kraft Foods Inc., and currently by its successor Mondelez. They originally shared the "Lunchables" name until 2023.

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to cuisines:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snack</span> Small food portions consumed outside of the main meals of the day

A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. A snack is often less than 200 calories, but this can vary. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuffed mushrooms</span> Culinary dish or snack

Stuffed mushrooms is a dish prepared using edible mushrooms as its primary ingredient. Many fillings can be used, and the dish is typically baked or broiled. It can be served hot or at room temperature, and is sometimes served cold. The dish can have a meaty texture, and serves as an hors d'oeuvre, side dish, or snack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese cracker</span> Type of cracker

The cheese cracker is a type of cracker prepared using cheese as a main ingredient. Additional common cracker ingredients are typically used, such as grain, flour, shortening, leavening, salt and various seasonings. The ingredients are formed into a dough, and the individual crackers are then prepared. Some cheese crackers are prepared using fermented dough. Cheese crackers are typically baked. Another method of preparing cheese crackers involves placing cheese atop warm crackers. Cheese crackers have been described as a "high-calorie snack", which is due to a higher fat content compared to other types of crackers.

References

  1. Naylor, Tony (June 27, 2012). "How to eat: cheese and biscuits". The Guardian. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Agriculture, United States. Dept. of (1919). Farmers' Bulletin. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1-PA59. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  3. Harris, Jenn (June 23, 2016). "How to make your own next-level cheese and crackers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  4. Neal, B. (2009). Bill Neal's Southern Cooking. University of North Carolina Press. p. 146. ISBN   978-0-8078-8958-9 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Crosby, Carlynn (June 27, 2017). "Five ideas for party foods to bring to your potluck". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Carroll, Abigail (September 13, 2014). "Cheese and crackers: a meal for the ages". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  7. Hammond, A.; Hamer, A.; Green, C.; Scott, D.L.; Pattison, D.; Bird, H.; Hurley, M. (2009). Arthritis Your Questions Answered. Q & A (DK Publishing, Inc.). DK Publishing. p. 147. ISBN   978-0-7566-5700-0 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  8. Donnelly, C.; Kehler, M. (2016). The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Oxford Companions. Oxford University Press. p. 136. ISBN   978-0-19-933088-1 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  9. Kennedy, K. (2010). The Art and Craft of Entertaining. Atria Books. p. 228. ISBN   978-1-4516-1260-8 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  10. Mowry, W.A. (1914). Camp Life in the Civil War, Eleventh R.I. Infantry. p.  65 . Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  11. The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces. Army and Navy Journal Incorporated. 1876. p. 26. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  12. Purvis, Jaime (July 7, 2016). "9 Nostalgic '90s Snacks We Want in Our Lunch Now". KIVI (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved July 10, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. Prepared Foods. Gorman Publishing Company. 1988. p. 133. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  14. Dalzell, T.; Victor, T. (2014). The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. EBL-Schweitzer. Taylor & Francis. p. 155. ISBN   978-1-317-62512-4 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  15. Dalzell, T. (2009). The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. p. 185. ISBN   978-0-415-37182-7 . Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  16. "Billy "Cheese and Crackers" Hagan", Vaudeville Old & New: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America, vol. 1, Psychology Press, 2007, pp. 469–470, ISBN   9780415938532

Further reading