The First-Ever Cracker Made With Electricity Is Still A Powerhouse Brand Today

While Americans had access to many iconic packaged treats throughout the early 20th century — including early sandwich cookies that predated Oreo — one unique bite stands out with over 100 years of history: Triscuits. First conceived in 1898, patented in 1902, and launched nationally in 1903, the whole wheat snack has demonstrated remarkable staying power. In fact, according to the company's early advertising campaign, the brand was the first-ever cracker made with electricity.

Originally crafted in Niagara Falls, New York, the crackers are composed of wheat deconstructed into threads, meshed together, and then roasted, first using coal-fired ovens when they were invented. However, upon their widespread market release in 1903, the company switched to electric baking, a major food manufacturing innovation at the time.

The new energy source served as a proud marketing differentiator. It was noted in advertisements, and even integrated into the name. Some folks suspect the "tri" in Triscuit stems from the word "electricity," while others theorize it's a nod to the cracker's three ingredients (wheat, oil, and salt). Two years later, in 1905, Pillsbury released an electrically produced food, too, helping commence a new era of packaged food.

First manufactured by the Natural Food Company, Triscuits underwent several transformations to attain their modern-day form. For decades, this wheat product didn't utilize seasoning. Instead, the cracker was intended to be consumed as a morning cereal, popularized around the same time corn flakes originated. Salt and fat didn't appear in the mix until decades later, in 1935, seven years after Nabisco acquired the brand. With such a utilitarian composition, Triscuit sales surged during the Great Depression and World War II.

Incredibly, it then took nearly 50 more years for additional Triscuit flavors to reach the market, with new options arriving only in 1984. Today, Triscuits appear in dozens of varieties, seasoned with everything from jalapeño to garlic parmesan, and baked in both thick and thin versions. The wheat crackers are available in both sweet and savory varieties, and serve as both a vessel for dips — you can make some wildly flavorful two-ingredient ones — and a standalone snack. It's a historic food concept with long-running appeal, cementing the brand as a powerhouse that's still widely sold today.