Ricecakes are a vague relation to the cracker. The ingredients are, typically, rice and salt - the former having been heat-treated so that it expands (in much the same way as with puffed rice cereals) and then pressed into a circular disc. A ricecake is comparable in diameter to that of a CD, and has about a finger's worth of thickness to it. Now available from most good supermarkets, and from all health-food shops, ricecakes are a boon for dieters (due to their extremely low calorie content), for those with certain nutritional disorders (most ricecakes are gluten free) and for anyone who wants a break from the traditional cracker or water biscuit.

Ricecakes will keep pretty much indefinitely within an airtight container. On the downside, when left out of an airtight container, they begin to taste like soggy cardboard. Ricecakes can be revived, however, with the strategic usage of an oven on a high-heat to evaporate all moisture back out again. Similar results can be obtained with a toaster and microwave combination method, but it's not that advisable because ricecakes burn easily.

Some varieties of ricecakes have tried to improve upon their predecessors by including, for example, sesame seeds. More recently though, attempts have been made to move the ricecake into the general snack and munchies area by flavouring them, reducing their size, and sticking them in crisp-like packets...

Savoury varieties of ricecakes can be improved considerably by the spreading, or the placing of one of a multitudinous number of toppings. Available to accommodate both the sweet and the savoury, such as fresh fruit or meaty sandwich spreads, with a little work the ricecake can be a marvel of edible delight.