Triscuit
Triscuit is a brand name of snack crackers which take the form of baked square whole wheat wafers. Invented in 1900, they were patented in 1902 and the Shredded Wheat Company began production the next year in Niagara Falls, New York. The Niagara site was chosen due to its proximity to the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant, the first major power plant in the United States, which opened in 1895.
History
The Shredded Wheat Company began producing Triscuits in 1903 in Niagara Falls, New York. The name may have come from a combination of the words electricity and biscuit. An alternative theory holds that the tri refers to the cracker's three ingredients, but this is disputed due to conflicting adverts and poor records. At least one early advertisement boasted that Triscuits were "baked by electricity", claiming they were "the only food on the market prepared by this 1903 process". Each cracker measured, and remained that size for nearly 21 years. The ovens were then altered and the cracker size changed to squares.In 1928, the Shredded Wheat Company was purchased by Nabisco.
Beginning in 1935, Triscuits were sprayed with oil and salted. In 1984, additional flavor choices were introduced and the crackers were made crispier.