Oyster Crackers (1857)

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:11 AM -0500 12/16/02, Frank Abate wrote:
>Barry P noted:
>
>>>
>OYSTER CRACKERS
>
>    OED has 1873 for "oyster crackers."
>
>    FRESH LEAVES by Fanny Fern, (New York: Mason brother, 1857), MOA-Michigan
>Books database, pg. 72:
>    ...a basket of oyster crackers...
>
>    21 December 1858, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 5 ad:
>    Buy Bond's Celebrated Boston and Oyster Crackers for the Holidays.
>
>(This ad possibly appeared earlier in the American Periodical Series.  I'll
>check that again when I buy another Columbia library pass next year--ed.)
><<
>
>Let me add that, to my knowledge, this is an Americanism, or at least is
>today.  The Brits I have checked with are unfamiliar with this food in the
>UK.  At least it is not traditional fare, though maybe lately it has slipped
>in.  Of course, they are most closely associated with chowder, which is an
>American thing.
>
>The most familiar brand of oyster crackers seems to be Westminster, made in
>Vermont.
>
And for me, they absolutely have to polygonal--I believe hexagonal,
if I'm counting sides correctly.  I don't know if this is equally
criterial for other respondents, though.

Larry