Vienna Sausages and Saltine Crackers

By the 1970s, canned Vienna sausages were a genuine convenience food available at every rural store and affordable on the tightest budget. No preparation required — just open the can, drain the brine, and eat the sausages with saltine crackers. An entire generation of Appalachian and rural Southern children grew up eating this for lunch at school. Simple, portable, and requiring no refrigeration.

Ingredients

• 1 can (4.6 oz) Vienna sausages
• Saltine crackers (approximately 12)
• Yellow mustard for dipping
• Optional: canned cheese spread
• Optional: a few slices of dill pickle

Directions

Open the can and drain the liquid.

1. Arrange sausages on a plate or directly in the lunch pail with a stack of crackers alongside.
2. Use mustard for dipping or spread a little on the crackers before adding a sausage.
3. No cooking required. No refrigeration needed for the sealed can.
4. Once opened, eat within a few hours if not refrigerating.
5. The combination of the salty, soft sausage with the salty, crunchy cracker and tangy mustard is greater than the sum of its parts.

Notes

Vienna sausages were the great equalizer in Appalachian lunch boxes — every child from the poorest hollow to the more comfortable mining families knew them. The pale pink sausages in their gelatinous brine were already fully cooked and required nothing. A can cost less than a quarter in 1970. Armour brand was the dominant brand in the mountain South.