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 rackers, as they are presented on the market in Italy today, closely resemble products that Americans were familiar with many decades ago. In fact, it appears that the saltine-cracker format was brought directly from the western shore of the Atlantic and it has enjoyed great popularity as nibble food with drinks or as a base element for snacks of varying complexity. Although crackers may be a relatively recent arrival on the Italian stage, the concept behind them and the techniques used in making them have been around for a long time in Italy and elsewhere. Crackers are usually made with wheat flour, salt and shortening of some sort, customarily oil. Yeasts may or may not be worked into the mixture. The technique used in making crackers-baking between two heated metal plates with a weight placed atop the upper sheet-makes them different from many other types of bread. However, the method is fundamentally the same as that followed in producing flat breads widely consumed throughout Italy, such as schiacciata. Flat breads were also baked on stones heated in the fireplace. Techniques have changed substantially and crackers, too, have evolved. They are now often made of rye and other grains and there are also whole-wheat versions to satisfy increasingly diet-conscious consumers.
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