Like so many things from the past, the pretzel comes equipped with lots of stories of how it came to be and what it symbolizes. The favorite story of most pretzel historians features a 7th century Italian monk who designed a cracker for his students. As a reward for learning their prayers, he’d give them a baked treat that symbolized a couple of things. The three holes represented the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and the shape surrounding them had two thin “arms.” They were added to resemble the way prayed back in those days, with arms folded over the chest, not our hands-pressed-together method.
Let’s Take a Closer Look at the Pretzel
Those church school baked treats were called pretiola, meaning small rewards
They were also called bracellae, the Latin term for “little arms.” Later, the Germans called them “bretzels,” and you know the next step.
The praying pretzel was a powerful teaching tool
More than decoration, the shape itself was a visual reminder of devotion, humility, and attentiveness to God. Beer-brewing monks also said that the water, barley, and hops they used to make beer was another example of the holy trinity at work.
How shall we define a pretzel?
Britannica says a pretzel is a brittle glazed-and-salted cracker made by rolling a rope of dough and making a loose knot with it.
Wikipedia says 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 as a loop or bow.
The first pretzel action story is from 1510
To make their planned invasion and takeover easy, Turks began digging a tunnel beneath Vienna’s city walls. They did not know that Viennese monks baked pretzels each night in the monastery’s basement kitchen, just over their heads.
Pretzel making and baking are quiet tasks
Which is why the monks were able to hear the sounds of digging beneath them. They sounded the alarm and the Viennese army caught the tunneling Turks by surprise and routed them. The emperor was so delighted by the pretzel-baking monks’ alert that he awarded them with their own coat of arms.
Pretzels took hold in Germany like nowhere else
- Each Easter, kids hunted for hidden pretzels, not Easter eggs.
- Pretzels were popular during Lent because their only ingredients were flour, salt, and water.
- Pretzels were used to decorate Christmas trees, just as kids would later use popcorn and cranberries.
The American pretzel
German immigrants brought their pretzels with them, some say aboard the Mayflower. Whichever ships the Germans arrived on, many settled in Pennsylvania, where they were called the Pennsylvania Deutsch (Dutch).
A Pennsylvania baker named Sturgis was bothered by how quickly pretzels went stale
So he over-baked his typically soft, squishy pretzels to give them a hard shell. One camp holds that he did it by accident and of course others say it was deliberate. Either way, the crisp exterior gave hard pretzels longer shelf lives and packaging them in resealable airtight cans allowed for wider distribution of fresh, crisp pretzels.
By 1850, there were dozens of pretzel bakeries in the city of Philadelphia alone
Today Pennsylvania is the pretzel-making capital of the United States, baking more than three-fourths of America’s pretzels.
Freeport, Illinois used to be known as the site of the second Lincoln-Douglas debate
With so many Americans ignorant of their own country’s history, more people now know Freeport as Pretzel City because the Billerbeck family were such prolific pretzel producers and promoters. Pretzels are so much ingrained in the community that the Freeport minor league baseball team took the name Pretzels, as did the local high school.
Freeport had lots of breweries, too
Local lore says that in the late 1800s, Freeport breweries produced more beer than Milwaukee. It didn’t take beer drinkers long to know how well pretzels and beer went together.
Philadelphia and Freeport are still the leaders of the American pretzel industry
They became sister cities when they met to exchange keys to their cities. Freeport got the best of the Philadelphia by presenting them with a pretzel cleverly shaped like a key.
How are you on pretzel trivia?
- The most famous pretzel is Steely Dan’s third album, titled Pretzel Logic. Listen to the song here.
- The pretzel bakers guild symbol is still used today in front of bakeries to announce to passersby that fresh pretzels are baked and sold inside.
- Some great artists included pretzels in their paintings.
- In 1600s Switzerland, couples used a pretzel to finalize the marital bond. It is rumored that this was the origin of our phrase, “tying the knot.”
- The pretzel got its shiny crust by dipping it in lye before baking.
- Philadelphians eat 12 times as many pretzels as people in any other U.S. city.
- The world’s largest pretzel is 29 feet wide, 13 feet long, and weighs 1,728 pounds. It was baked by a beer maker in San Salvador.
Pretzels were ideal bar snacks
They were easy to store and serve and their salty coatings helped sell more beer. Food historian William Weaver has this to say: “The pretzel‘s journey from religious symbol to global snack phenomenon is a testament to its adaptability and the enduring appeal of its unique shape and flavor. It‘s a story of twists and turns, but one that has resulted in a delicious and deeply ingrained part of our culinary heritage.”
Pretzels have gone artisan
Today aficionados meet for tastings where they pair different pretzel recipes with craft beers. Even if you’re not that into affairs such as these, eating pretzels while drinking beer makes plenty of sense. Pretzels are salty, which enhances the taste of beer and their crunchiness complements beer’s smoothness.
National Pretzel Day is celebrated each April 26th, but National Pretzel Month is celebrated each October
Each April 26th, Pretzel City puts on an annual Pretzel Fest complete with live music performances, polka dancing, games, and pretzel-themed souvenirs. And don’t miss out on the freebies offered by pretzel stores like Wetzel’s Pretzels, Ben’s Soft Pretzels, Auntie Ann’s, and others.
The annual Pretzel City Brewfest is held in October to coincide with Oktoberfest
More than 150 beers will be there for tasting, and when you’ve had enough, sober drivers will take you home for just $10.
How many people do you know who have been researchers, writers, teachers, and storytellers who look at old things in new ways, see the commonplace in greater detail, and explain complex and technical subject matter in simple, conversational language?
More than 500 of David Allan Van Nostrand’s articles are posted on this site, along with another 400 or so on other sites, meaning you’re bound to find some things you like and some things you don’t. Some are on the serious side, some show a glimmer of wit, and a few are eye-opening, but all are presentations of facts I was able to find during a couple of days poking around.
I can write about anything. What can I write for you?
Bonus
Before researching this story this week, I did not know there was a pretzel dance. It originated in the 1920s as part of swing dancing. Since then it has been incorporated into East Coast Swing, Country Western, and many other dance styles. Check out this instructional video.
