[2] In 1876, F. L. Sommer & Company of St. Joseph, Missouri, started using baking soda as a leavening agent (causing air bubbles) in its wafer-thin cracker.

Initially called the Premium Soda Cracker and later "Saltines" because of the baking salt component, the invention quickly became popular and Sommer's business quadrupled within four years.

[1] Soda crackers are made in the United Kingdom by Huntley and Palmers, and in Australia and New Zealand under the brand name Arnott's Salada.

In restaurants, they are sometimes found in small wrapped plastic packets of two crackers, which generally accompany soup or salad.

[10][11] As a home remedy, saltines are consumed by many people in order to ease nausea, diarrhea (see bland diet), and to settle an upset stomach.

[12] Saltine crackers have also been frequently included in military field rations (Meal, Ready-to-Eat, or MRE) in the United States.

[13][14] Saltines have been compared to hardtack, a simple unleavened cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and sometimes salt.