hardtack

American  

[hahrd-tak] / ˈhɑrdˌtæk /

noun

1. a hard, hard, saltless biscuit, formerly much used aboard ships and for army rations.

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hardtack British  

/ ˈhɑːdˌtæk /

noun

1. Also called: pilot biscuit.   ship's biscuit.   sea biscuit.  a kind of hard saltless biscuit, formerly eaten esp by sailors as a staple aboard ship

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Etymology

Origin of hardtack

First recorded in 1830–40; hard + tack ²

Example Sentences

He made a tidy sum selling the government hard, dry bread and biscuits - known as hardtack - for Union soldier rations.

From Washington Times • Aug. 30, 2020

Some sailors use pilot bread — a thick, crackerlike item similar to Colonial-era hardtack, which doesn’t go stale — to settle their stomachs.

From Washington Post • Nov. 1, 2018

My favourite episode is episode 13: The Cheesiest, which includes stories about how President Andrew Jackson started Big Block of Cheese Day, and a bit about American civil war soldiers’ least favourite food, hardtack.

From The Guardian • Mar. 30, 2018

Even more distinctly Alaskan is the pairing of the spread with pilot bread, hardtack that can withstand the elements and the passing of time out in the wild.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2015

“There’s a couple weeks’ worth of hardtack in there, that’s what the boys eat down south on the front, plus pterofeed in case you can’t find any wandering...whatever that thing eats.”

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• biscuit
• cookie
• pretzel