Crispbread

A flat, dry, crisp bread or cracker, usually made with rye flour, that keeps for months and is a staple in Scandinavia.

Crispbread: Round rye crispbread with a center hole and rectangular crispbread pieces stacked
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
  • Scandinavia, Sweden

Also called: crisp bread

Traditional crispbread, or knäckebröd in Swedish, is made from whole rye flour, water and salt, sometimes with yeast or sourdough. The dough is rolled thin, pricked or patterned and baked until completely dry. Old-style rounds had a hole in the middle so they could be stored on poles hung from the ceiling.

Crispbread is eaten with butter, cheese, smoked fish or jam. Because it contains so little moisture, it stays crisp for a long time in a dry place. Many versions add seeds, oats or spices.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Rye crispbread, Levande kulturarv (Sweden national ICH inventory, UNESCO Convention)