On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 18:44:54 +0200, Nathalie Chiva
> wrote:

>On 26 Aug 2005 10:12:05 -0500, "Bob" >
>wrote:
>
>>I've got a similar recipe made with clams. The recipe's originator is from
>>El Salvador, and the comment at the end of the recipe is that it's usually
>>eaten with saltines in that country. Is your complaint based on a notion
>>that eating the shrimp cocktail with saltines isn't "authentic," or do you
>>just not like saltines?
>
>What exactly are saltines?
>TIA

I don't think I ever came across an equivalent to Saltines while
living in Europe.

Saltines, a US brand name, are very light crackers (US)/biscuits (EU)
that are made from white flour with no spices, slightly levened, and
are very light and crispy/flaky. They are typically coated with a lot
of salt though unsalted and lightly salted are now available.

Historically, they were served in celophane packages of 2 or 4
crackers along with soups and salads in US restaurants. I guess they
were supposed to be an alternative to croutons, but they just dissolve
into mush if crumbled into soup or a salad wet with dressing.

These days I just eat them if my stomach is troubled but empty. I
wonder if they are anything like UK digestive biscuits? Never had one
of those.