Pretzel

Apretzel(/ˈprɛtsəl/PRET-səl; fromGerman:Breze(l)orBretzel,pronounced[ˈbʁeːtsl̩]or[ˈbʁɛtsl̩]) is a type ofbakedpastry made fromdoughthat is commonly shaped into aknot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical form, with the ends of a long strip of dough intertwined and then twisted back onto itself in a particular way (a pretzel loop or pretzel bow). Today, pretzels come in various shapes, textures, and colors, but the original soft pretzel is still one of the most common pretzel types to date.
Saltis the most common seasoning, or topping, for pretzels, complementing thewashing sodaorlyetreatmentthat gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor acquired through theMaillard reaction. Other toppings aremustard,cheeses,sugar,chocolate,cinnamon,sweet glazing,seeds, andnuts. Varieties of pretzels include soft pretzels, which should be eaten shortly after preparation, and hard-baked pretzels, which have a long shelf life.
There are numerous accounts regarding the origin of pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most state that they haveChristianbackgrounds and were invented by European monks.According to some scholars and various sources, the most popular story is that the pretzel was made in 610 AD by an Italian monk when he decided to make a special treat to help motivate his students to keep on learning. He rolled out a few strips of dough and crossed them to try and resemble two hands praying, and after he baked it, the pretzel was born.After they were done baking, he handed them out to his students and said "pretiola" (little rewards).Another source locates the invention in a monastery in southern France.In Germany, there are stories that pretzels were the invention of desperatebakersheld hostage by local dignitaries.
The German name "Brezel" may derive also fromLatinbracellus(a medieval term for 'bracelet'),orbracchiola('little arms').
The pretzel has been in use as an emblem of bakers and formerly theirguildsin southern German areas since at least the 12th century.A 12th-century illustration of the banquet ofQueen EstherandKing Ahasuerusin theHortus deliciarumfrom theAlsaceregion (today France) may contain the earliest depiction of a pretzel.
Within theChristian Church, pretzels were regarded as having religious significance for both ingredients and shape. Pretzels made with a simple recipe using only flour and water could be eaten during Lent when Christians were forbidden to eat eggs, lard, or dairy products such as milk and butter (cf.Daniel Fast).As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. Pretzels were hidden on Easter morning just as eggs are hidden today,and are particularly associated withLent, fasting and prayers beforeEaster.
Like the holes in the hubs of round Finnish flatbread,ruisreikäleipä, which let them be hung on poles suspended just below the kitchen ceiling, the loops in pretzels may have served a practical purpose: bakers could hang them on sticks, for instance, projecting upwards from a central column, as shown in a painting by Job Berckheyde (1630–1693) from around 1681.
Pretzel baking has most firmly taken root in the region ofFranconiaand adjoiningUpper German-speaking areas, and pretzels have been an integral part of German baking traditions for centuries. Lye pretzels are popular in southern Germany,Alsace, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland as a variety of bread, a side dish or a snack, and come in many local varieties. Examples for pretzel names in various Upper-German dialects areBreze,Brezn,Bretzel,Brezzl,Brezgen,Bretzga,Bretzet,Bretschl,Kringel,Silserli,andSülzerli.Baked for consumption on the same day, they are sold in every bakery and in special booths or stands in downtown streets. Often, they are sliced horizontally, buttered, and sold asButterbrezel, or come with slices of cold meats or cheese. Butter-filled pretzels are also commonly sold under this name.Sesame,poppy,sunflower,pumpkin, orcaraway seeds, meltedcheese, and bacon bits are other popular toppings. Some bakeries offer pretzels made of different flours, such aswhole wheat,ryeorspelt.
In Bavaria, lye pretzels accompany a main dish, such asWeisswurstsausage. The same dough and baking procedure with lye and salt is used to make other kinds of "lye pastry" (Laugengebäck):lye rolls, buns, croissants, and even loaves (Laugenbrötchen,Laugenstangen,Laugencroissants,Laugenbrot).Yet, in some parts ofBavaria, especially in lower Bavaria, unglazed "white" pretzels, sprinkled with salt and caraway seeds are still popular. Basically, with the same ingredients, lye pretzels come in numerous local varieties. Sizes are usually similar; the main differences are the thickness of the dough, the content of fat and the degree of baking. TypicalSwabianpretzels, for example, have very thin "arms" and a "fat belly" with a split, and a higher fat content. The thicker part makes it easier to slice them for the use of sandwiches. In Bavarian pretzels, the arms are left thicker so they do not bake to a crisp and contain very little fat.Oversized pretzels are often sold at fairs or beer festivals.
The pretzel shape is used for a variety of sweet pastries made of different types of dough (flaky, brittle, soft, crispy) with a variety of toppings (icing, nuts, seeds, cinnamon). Around Christmas, they can be made of soft gingerbread (Lebkuchen) with chocolate coating. In southern Germany and adjoining German-speaking areas, pretzels have retained their original religious meanings and are still used in various traditions and festivals. In some areas, on 1 January, people give each other lightly sweetened yeast pretzels for good luck and good fortune. These "New Year's pretzels" are made in different sizes and can have a width of 50 centimetres (20 in) and more. Sometimes children visit their godparents to fetch their New Years pretzel. On 1 May, love-struck boys used to paint a pretzel on the doors of the adored. On the other hand, an upside-down pretzel would have been a sign of disgrace. Especially Catholic areas, such as Austria, Bavaria, or some parts of Swabia, the "Palm pretzel" is made forPalm Sundaycelebrations. Sizes can range from 30 cm (0.98 ft) up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and they can weigh up to 2.5 kg (5.5 lb).An old tradition on Palm Sunday dating back to 1533 is the outdoor pretzel market (Brezgenmarkt) in the Hungerbrunnen Valley nearHeldenfingen.
In theRhinelandregion, sweet pretzels are made with pudding-filled loops (pudding pretzels). OnLaetare SundayinLuxembourg, the fourth Sunday inLent, there is a festival called "Pretzel Sunday". Boys give their girlfriends pretzels or cakes in pretzel form.The size symbolizes how much he likes her. In return, if a girl wants to increase his attention, she will give him a decorated egg on Easter. The pretzel custom is reversed on Pretzel Sunday duringleap years.This custom also still exists in some areas of theSwabian Alb.On the same occasion inRhenish Hesseandthe Palatinate, people have parades carrying big pretzels mounted on colourful decorated poles.
During Lent inBiberach, "Lent pretzels" are popular. These are briefly boiled in water before baking and then sprinkled with salt.Schloss Burgis renowned for a 200-year-old specialty, the "Burger pretzel". Its texture and flavour resembleruskorzwieback. A local story says that the recipe came from a grateful Napoleonic soldier in 1795, whose wounds were treated by a baker's family in the little town ofBurg.The cultural importance of the pretzel for Burg is expressed by a monument in honour of the pretzel bakers, and by an 18 km hiking trail nearby called "Pretzel Hiking Trail".
A variety typical for UpperFranconiais the "anise pretzel". The town ofWeidenbergcelebrates the "Pretzel weeks" during thecarnivalseason whenaniseflavored pretzels are served with special dishes such as cooked meat withhorseradishor roast.
In the city ofLübeck, the 500-year-oldguildof boatmen on theStecknitz Canalcall their annual meetings in JanuaryKringelhöge(Pretzelfun). The elaborate affair, with about 200 participants, is celebrated as a breakfast with beer and includes Mass in the Lübeck Cathedral and a presentation of songs by a children's choir. In earlier times, the children were very poor, coming from an orphanage, and each received aKringel(pretzel) as a reward. Hence, the name "Pretzelfun" was adopted, because this gift was considered a highlight. Today, the children come from schools, but they still get the pretzels.
The city ofOsnabrückcelebrates the anniversary of thePeace of Westphalia(1648) and organizes an annualhobby horserace for grade-four children. On finishing the race, they are presented with a sweet pretzel.Inheraldry, the city seal ofNörtendates from around 1550 and depicts two facing lions holding a pretzel at the center.
The lye pretzel is the theme for a number of festivals in Germany. The city ofSpeyerprides itself to be the "pretzel town", and around the second weekend of July, from Friday to Tuesday, it holds an annualfunfairand festival called "Brezelfest", which is the largestbeer festivalin theUpper Rhineregion, and attracts around 300,000 visitors. The festival includes a parade with over 100 bands, floats, and clubs participating from the whole region, and 22,000 pretzels are thrown among the crowds.On the market square of Speyer, there is a fountain with a statue of a boy selling pretzels. The pretzel booths on the main street are permanently installed and were specially designed when the whole downtown area was redone for the 100th anniversary.One-day pretzel fests and markets in other German towns are in Kirchhellen,a borough ofBottrop, or inKornwestheim.In 2003 and 2004, "Peace Pretzels" were baked for aUNICEFcharity event and other charity purposes inMunich.Instead of the typical pretzel loop, they were made in the similar shape of apeace symbol.
In the late 18th century, southern German and Swiss German immigrants introduced the pretzel to North America. The immigrants became known as thePennsylvania Dutch, and in time, many handmade pretzel bakeries populated the central Pennsylvania countryside, and the pretzel's popularity spread.
In the 20th century, soft pretzels became popular in other regions of the United States. Cities such asPhiladelphia,Chicago, andNew Yorkbecame renowned for their soft pretzels.The key to success was the introduction of the new mass production methods of theindustrialized age, which increased the availability and quantity, and the opening up of multiple points of distribution at schools, convenience and grocery stores, and entertainment venues such as movie theaters, arenas, concert halls, and sport stadiums. Prior to that, street vendors used to sell pretzels on street corners in wooden glass-enclosed cases.
In the U.S., pretzels come in many varieties of flavors and coatings, such asyogurt, chocolate, strawberry, mustard, cinnamon sugar, cheese and others, and chocolate-covered hard pretzels are popular around Christmas time and given as gifts. The variety of shapes and sizes became a contest of imagination in the marketing of the pretzels taste. During the 1900s, people in Philadelphia would use the small slender pretzel stick as a common accompaniment toice creamor would crumble pretzels as a topping. This combination of cold sweet and salty taste was very popular for many years. Eventually, this led to the development of an ice cream cone tasting like a pretzel.More recentlyMars, IncorporatedmanufacturesM&M'swith a small spherical pretzel covered inmilk chocolateandcandycoated in all of the standard M&M's colors, called "Pretzel M&M's". Soft pretzels are frequently sold inshopping malls, with notable chains includingAuntie Anne'sandWetzel's Pretzels/Pretzel Time.
Southeastern Pennsylvania, with its large population of German background, including thePennsylvania Dutch, is considered the birthplace of the American pretzel industry, and many pretzel bakers are still located in the area. Pennsylvania produces 80% of the nation's pretzels.
Hard pretzels originated in the United States, where, in 1850, theSturgis bakeryinLititz, Pennsylvania, became the first commercial hard pretzel bakery.Snack foodhard pretzels are made in the form of loops, braids, letters, little pretzels, or sticks around3 millimetres (1⁄8in) thick and 12 centimetres (5 in) long; they have become a popular snack in many countries around the world. A thicker variety of sticks can be1.5 centimetres (1⁄2in) thick; in the U. S. these are calledBavarianpretzels or pretzel rods. Unlike the soft pretzels, these were durable when kept in an airtight environment and marketable in a variety of convenience stores. Large-scale production began in the first half of the 1900s, more so during 1930 to 1950. A prime example was in 1949, when highly innovativeAmerican Machine and FoundryCo., of New York City, developed the "pretzel bender": a new automatic crispy-styled baked pretzel-twisting machine that rolled and tied them at the rate of 50 a minute—more than twice as fast as skilled hand twisters could make them—and conveyed them through the baking and salting process.
The annual United States pretzel industry is worth over $1.2 billion.The average American consumes about 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) of pretzels per year.The privately run Pretzel Museum opened in Philadelphia in 1993, but is now defunct.In 2003,PennsylvaniaGovernorEd Rendelldeclared 26 April "National Pretzel Day" to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.Philly Pretzel Factory stores offer a free pretzel to each customer on this day.InAltoona, Pennsylvania, the Benzel's pretzel company calls them "bretzels", both for the alliteration and as a nod to their German heritage.
The S-shaped soft pretzel, often served withbrown mustard, became very popular in Philadelphia and was established as a part ofPhiladelphia's cuisinefor snacking at school, work, or home, and considered by most to be a quick meal. The average Philadelphian today consumes about twelve times as many pretzels as the national average.
Freeport, Illinois, which sits about 100 miles outside of Chicago, is another city known for its rich pretzel history.In 1869, a German immigrant named John Billerbeckestablished the first Billerbeck Bakery which was known for selling German style pretzels to complement the large number of breweries that existed in Freeport during this time.Prohibitioneventually shut down the breweries which led to the decline of pretzel sales in Freeport, but the city never lost its pretzel pride. For more than 100 years, Freeport has been known as "Pretzel City, USA." Their high school athletic mascot is the Pretzel and the football stadium has been appropriately named "Pretzel Field." In 2003, local citizens launched Freeport's first Pretzel Festival which is a large community event where residents get together to celebrate the city's pretzel history. Contestants are chosen to be crowned Pretzel Prince and Princess and a festival mascot by the name of "Pretzel Bill" (stemming from the Billerbeck Bakery name) dresses as a 6-foot tall walking talking pretzel who hands out pretzels from floats and takes photos with the local festival goers.
The looped pretzel is known in other European countries and in other countries around the world.
InHungaryit is called perec, a softer variant of the German pastry, usually eaten with cheese or salt-syrup baked on it.
In Romania, the pretzel is known as a variety ofcovrigi;it is a very common street food.
InSwedenit is called kringlor, a small pretzel often covered with chocolate.
The pretzel has become an element in popular culture, both as a food staple, and its unique knotted twist shape which has inspiredideas,perspectives,attitudes,memes,images, and otherphenomena. Although historically, the pretzel has influenced culture, it has recently been heavily influenced bymass media.
Landscape architectureandsculpturememorialized the strong identity that the city of Philadelphia had with pretzel cuisine of local bakers and popularity in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Recreation Department renamed in 2004 a facility formerly identified as Manayunk Park, located on the 4300 block of Silverwood Street as "Pretzel Park".The re-designed park includes pretzel-like looped pathways and apublic artstatue in the shape of a pretzel sculpted by Warren C. Holzman.Themunicipal governmentof the City ofFreeport, Illinois, also known as "Pretzel City USA", have also adopted a pretzel logo as their trademark.
The pretzel dance move was part ofswing dancingin the 1920s.
The "pretzel" bikini bathing suit design, a variant of thesling swimsuit, emerged in the early 1990s, produced bySpandex. It is a haltered maillot that crisscrosses the front and fastens to the waistline. Made fromLycra, these bikinis became most popular on the beaches of Europe, includingSaint-Tropez,Marbella,Mykonos, andIbiza.
A circulating internet video shows a press conference of US presidentGeorge W. Bushfrom January 2002, in which he recalls choking on a pretzel: "When you're eating pretzels, chew before you swallow. Listen to your mother."