Cheese & Crackers

Ritz crackers are a type of cracker designed to be eaten on their own, or with a topping. The Ritz Cracker Brand is made by a subsidiary of Kraft Foods . more...

They are circular in shape, salted lightly on one side, and have small scalloping around the edges. A single serving (approximately 5 crackers) contains 79 calories and 4 grams of fat, or 70 calories and 2.5 grams for whole wheat.

History

Ritz were created in 1934 by the National Biscuit Company (or Nabisco). Ritz were developed during the Great Depression, during which Americans were in search of affordable, yet classy food to eat. Ritz were probably named as such because anything glamorous, classy, or fancy was previously referred to as "ritzy". Ritz has been popular ever since - from the most modest home to the elegant Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where it is still a regular feature on the menu.

Ritz in the US

Ritz crackers are available in the following styles: Original, Low Sodium, Reduced Fat, Whole Wheat, Roasted Vegetable and Honey Butter.

In the U.S and Canada, "Ritz Bits Sandwiches" are sold. They are miniature-sized Ritz cracker sandwiches with several types of filling in between the two crackers. The flavors of filling are currently: Cheese, Peanut Butter, S'mores, and Peanut Butter and Jelly. A pizza version was sold in the early 1990s and again in the early '00s. Plain Ritz Bits were also sold. Ritz crackers are also available in a toasted crisp chip called "Ritz Toasted Chips" and in an elongated form known as Ritz Sticks.

For a while, there were two Ritz Bitz flavors including Peanut Butter and Fudge, which consisted of half peanut butter and the other half fudge, and the other Extreme Cheese. Extreme Cheese is similar to regular cheese flavor, except the cracker also contains cheese flavor in it.

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