How Triscuits Got Their Name Goes Viral

As we all spend more time at home, staring at the walls and opening our cabinets every thirty […]

March 26, 2020, 3:45pm

As we all spend more time at home, staring at the walls and opening our cabinets every thirty minutes to see if there’s something different in there, the etymology of our favorite foods comes into question. Doritos, Oreos, Ding Dongs, such fun to say names that carry enough weight we don’t consider where they came from or what they mean. Though a more boring snack than either of the above, the story of how Triscuits got their name was recently revealed to the world in an unlikely way and has managed to go viral online. Buckle up for the Triscuit saga.

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It all starts with Twitter personality Sage Boggs, a former writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, who shared the story of his investigation into the meaning of the name “Triscuits” which takes a turn that you likely won’t expect, and even got a response from the company themselves. The story begins with the prefix of the name “Tri,” which we would all assume is in reference to three, but where it goes from there you likely won’t expect. Read the entire saga below.

Is there a snack food with a better origin?

(Cover photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Triscuit)

No seriously buckle up

OK, buckle up. I wanna talk to you about Triscuit. pic.twitter.com/Tg7334OSbc
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) March 26, 2020

Why Tri

The consensus was that “TRI” means three. Maybe “three layers” or “three ingredients.” No one knew for sure, though, so I Googled it. But here’s the thing — Google didn’t seem to have an official answer, either. Just more guesses.
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) March 26, 2020

Nabisco responds

“The “TRI” does not mean 3.” How… how do they know what it DOESN’T mean, but NOT know what it DOES mean? HOW??
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) March 26, 2020

Early Triscuit ads reveal…

I was baffled. And I couldn’t stand not knowing. So I did a little sleuthing online, and stumbled on some early Triscuit advertisements. Take a look at these bad boys: pic.twitter.com/jbeBUmjeCF
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) March 26, 2020

“baked by electricity”

In the early 1900’s, Triscuit was run out of Niagara Falls. And their big selling point? Being “baked by electricity.” They were “the only food on the market prepared by this 1903 process.” Look at the lightning bolts! And that’s when it clicked–
— Sage Boggs (@sageboggs) March 26, 2020