Cracker Jax

The world was first introduced to Cracker Jacks at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The recipe (then and now) included popcorn, molasses and peanuts, along with smaller amounts of sugar, salt and oil. You can find several recipes online to make a fresh batch at home, but unless there’s molasses involved you’ll end up with something tasting more like Fiddle-Faddle. Besides, you’d miss out on the prize inside the box. Cracker Jacks is considered the world’s first junk food, although it is gluten free, casein free and lactose free. It also has no MSG, and it’s kosher. So if you’re looking for a snack, I suppose you could do worse. I read somewhere that Yankee Stadium once switched from Cracker Jacks to Fiddle-Faddle at their concession stands. The fans were so upset they hurriedly switched back. What were they thinking? Fiddle-Faddle doesn’t even have its own song.