Pretzel

For other uses, see Pretzel (disambiguation).

Variety of pretzels

A pretzel is a type of European-descended baked good made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors often in a unique knot-like shapes. The archetypal pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical looped form, whereby the ends of a long strip of dough are intertwined or brought together and then twisted back onto itself in a certain way ("a pretzel loop"). However, some varieties are instead made in a more plain stick or rod shape. Before cooking, the dough is dipped in hot water or a lye solution to create the typical surface texture and flavor. For seasoning and decoration, glazes of coarse or fine salt, sugar, various seeds or nuts can be used. Larger pretzels are typically consumed singly while small pretzels are served in multiples.

Pretzels as a food are associated with different backgrounds, cultural purposes and ingredients that include a variety of glazes and coatings. Pretzels made of sour or yeast dough are assumed to be of Christian Medieval European origin. Today, they are still used in southern Germany and adjoining German-speaking regions on Christian holidays and in local customs.

Lye pretzel with the typical "pretzel loop"

A bread pretzel popular in southern Germany and adjoining German-speaking areas, as well as in some areas of the United States, is basically made from wheat flour, water and yeast, glazed with lye, usually sprinkled with coarse salt, hand-sized and made for consumption on the same day. To avoid confusion with any other pretzel kind, German speakers call this variety "Laugenbrezel" (lye pretzel). The sweet pastry varieties have no special purpose or background, come in many different textures, toppings and coatings, and are part of the wider selection of pastries and cookies. The crispy hard pretzels, e. g. pretzel sticks and a variety of shapes basically made from the same ingredients, have evolved from the same lye pretzel by baking out excess moisture, thereby increasing shelf life and creating a crispy taste. They originated in the United States and have become popular in many countries.

History

An illustration from the 12th century Hortus deliciarum from Alsace may be the earliest depiction of a pretzel, shown at a banquet with Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus

There are numerous accounts on the origin of the looped pretzels, as well as the origin of the name. Most of them agree that they have religious and/or Christian backgrounds and were invented by monks. According to The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, in 610 AD "...an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". However, no source is cited to back up these details. Another source locates the invention in a monastery in southern France. The looped pretzel may also have evolved from a Greek ring bread, which was served in monasteries for the Last Supper 1,000 years ago. In Germany, there are stories that pretzels were the invention of desperate bakers. Meyers Konversationslexikon from 1905 suspects the origin of pretzels in a ban of heathen baking traditions, such as in the form of sun wheels, at the Synod of Estinnes in the year 743. The pretzel may have emerged as a substitute. The German name "Brezel" may derive also from Latin bracellus (a medieval term for "bracelet"), or bracchiola ("little arms").

Emblem of the Baker's Guild in Germany

The pretzel has been in use as an emblem of bakers and formerly their guilds in southern German areas since at least the 12th century. A 12th-century illustration in the Hortus deliciarum from the southwest German Alsace region (today France) may contain the earliest depiction of a pretzel.

Within the Catholic 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 like milk and butter. As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. Pretzels were hidden on Easter morning just like eggs are hidden today, and are particularly associated with Lent, fasting, and prayers before Easter. The classic pretzel's three-hole shape begins to take form. The three holes represent the Christian Trinity of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit", and pretzels are thought to bring luck, prosperity, and spiritual wholeness. The wedding phrase "tying the knot" got its start when a pretzel was used to tie the knot between two prominent families. The pretzel's loops stood for everlasting love.

More prosaically, like the holes in the hubs of round Swedish flat bread (which let them be hung on strings), the loops in pretzels may simply have served a practical purpose. The shape allowed bakers to hang them on sticks - for instance, projecting upwards from a central column, as shown in a painting by Job Berckheyde (1630-93) from around 1681.

Pretzels in German-speaking countries

Variety of Southern German lye breads (Laugengebäck)

Pretzel baking has most firmly taken root in southern Germany and adjoining German-speaking areas, and pretzels have been an integral part of German baking traditions for centuries.

Varieties

According to legend, the custom of using lye in baking is thought to have evolved by accident in the 19th century. A baker dropped a tray of pretzels ready for baking into a trough of lye, which was used for cleaning and disinfecting baking utensils. After baking the pretzels nevertheless, the appealing colour and renowned flavour was discovered. 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. Almost every region and even city has its own way of baking them. Examples for pretzel names in various German dialects are Brezn, Bretzel, Brezzl, Brezgen, Bretzga, Bretzet, Bretschl, Kringel, Silserli and Sülzerli. 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 as Butterbrezel, or come with slices of cold meats or cheese. Sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin or caraway seeds, melted cheese and bacon bits are other popular toppings. Some bakeries offer pretzels made of different flours, such as whole wheat, rye or spelt. In Bavaria, lye pretzels accompany a main dish such as Weisswurst sausage. 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 of Bavaria, 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. Typical Swabian pretzels, 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.

The pretzel shape is used for a variety of sweet pastries made of different kinds of dough (flaky, brittle, soft, crispy) with a variety of toppings (icing, nuts, seeds, cinnamon). Around Christmas they can be made as soft gingerbreads ("Lebkuchen") with chocolate coating.

Festivals and customs around the pretzel

New Year's pretzel in a Stuttgart bakery (Swabia)

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 January 1, people give each other lightly sweetened yeast pretzels for good luck. These "New-Years 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 May 1, 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, know the "Palm pretzel" made for Palm Sunday celebrations. Sizes can range from 30 cm up to 1 metre and they can weigh up to 2.5 kg (6 lbs.). An old tradition on Palm Sunday dating back to 1533 is the outdoor pretzel market (Brezgenmarkt) in the Hungerbrunnen Valley near Heldenfingen.

In the Rhineland region, sweet pretzels are made with pudding-filled loops (pudding pretzels).

On Laetare Sunday in Luxembourg, the fourth Sunday in Lent, 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 during leap years. This custom also still exists in some areas of the Swabian Alb.

On the same occasion in Rhenish Hesse and the Palatinate, people have parades carrying big pretzels mounted on colourful decorated poles.

Popular during Lent in Biberach are "Lent pretzels", which are shortly boiled in water before baking and afterwards sprinkled with salt.

Prezel from Burg, typically carried around the neck

Schloss Burg is renowned for a 200-year-old speciality, the "Burger pretzel". Its texture and flavour resembles rusk or zwieback. 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 of Burg. 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 Upper Franconia is the "anise pretzel". The town of Weidenberg celebrates the "Pretzel weeks" during the carnival season, when anise flavored pretzels are served with special dishes such as cooked meat with horse radish or roast. In the city of Lübeck, the 500-year old guild of boatmen on the Stecknitz Canal call their annual meetings in January Kringelhöge (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 a Kringel (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.

Fountain in Speyer with pretzel boy statue

The city of Osnabrück celebrates the anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and organizes an annual hobby horse race for grade-four children. On finishing the race, they are presented with a sweet pretzel.

The lye pretzel is the theme for a number of festivals in Germany. The city of Speyer prides itself to be the "pretzel town", and around the second weekend of July, from Friday to Tuesday, it holds an annual funfair and festival called "Brezelfest", which is the largest beer festival in the Upper Rhine region, 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 2000th anniversary. One-day pretzel fests and markets in other German towns are in Kirchhellen, a borough of Bottrop, or in Kornwestheim.

In 2003 and 2004, "Peace Pretzels" were baked for a UNICEF charity event and other charity purposes in Munich. Instead of the typical pretzel loop, they were made in the similar shape of a peace symbol.

The pretzel as figure of speech

Kepler's 'Panis Quadragesimalis diagram.

In 1609, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler stated that "[if] one puts all of this information together in one bundle, and at the same time believes that the sun truly moves across the Zodiac over the space of a year, as Ptolemy and Tycho Brahe believed, then it is necessary to concede that the circuits of the three above planets through ethereal space are, as it were, a complex of several movements, that they are actually twisted; not like piled-up cord, with coils in a sequential order, but rather in the image of a lenten bread, as the following diagram shows..." (panis quadragesimalis or lenten bread is a pretzel).

"Pretzel" Beetle, Model 1950

In German, the term "Brezel" is also used synonymously for anything made with lye: a lye stick, which would be a Laugenstange, can be called a Brezelstange, a lye roll would be a Brezelbrötchen, etc. It is quite common in German to say, "Today the sun is really pretzling down (the sun is really stinging)." Bavarians have a number of expressions related to the pretzel. A Brezensoizer (pretzel salter), perhaps originally a baker's term, is a person doing lowly work. Saying "I’m not your pretzel salter!" would mean, "I’m not your servant". Occasionally, it is meant to be an insult.

Another saying is "he got pretzeled" (gebrezelt), meaning "he crashed", for example, skiing down the mountain or falling off a bike. One can also say "I pretzeled him one", meaning, "I gave him a punch in the nose or face", or "he pretzeled down the road at 100 km/h", meaning, he "really stepped on it". On the other hand, a "pretzeled appearance" means "very stylishly dressed or combed". An electrician might say, "The wire pretzeled me one", meaning "I got sizzled or shocked".

In the early 1950s, the Volkswagen Beetle was nicknamed "Pretzel Beetle" because of its rear window. Because of its shape, the pretzel gave its name to an inflatable United Nations research platform, "SolVin-Pretzel", which is placed in the canopy of rainforests.

Pretzels in the United States of America

USA Philadelphia PA style soft pretzel

In the 19th century, southern German and Swiss German immigrants introduced the pretzel to North America. The immigrants became known as the Pennsylvania 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 extremely popular in other regions of the United States. Cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York became renowned for their soft pretzels. The key to success was the introduction of the new mass production methods of the industrialized age, which increased the availability and quantity, and the opening up of multiple points of distribution at schools, convenience and groceery 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 particular, it became iconic with Philadelphia and was established as a cuisine of Philadelphia for snacking at school, work, or home, and considered by most to be a quick meal. The average Philadelphian today consumes about twelve times more pretzels than the national average. The baking skill of the large immigrant Italian American populations in Philadelphia played a significant role in pretzels being established as a local cuisine of Philadelphia. Other Italian centric populations in the USA have furthered the popularity of pretzel production and consumption.

Pennsylvania today is the center of American pretzel production for both the hard crispy and the soft bread types of pretzels. Southeastern Pennsylvania, with its large population of German background, 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.

The annual United States pretzel industry is worth over $550 million. 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. In 2003, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared April 26 "National Pretzel Day" to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

Pretzel bakers of United States of America (historical timeline)

1861: Sturgis Pretzel House in Lititz, Pennsylvania becomes the first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States.

1889: The Anderson Pretzel Factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is founded. Today it calls itself the world's largest, producing 65 tons of pretzels daily.

1935: The Reading Pretzel Machinery Company introduced the first automatic pretzel twisting machine.

1963: The largest pretzel of its time, weighing 40 pounds and measuring 5 feet across, is baked by Joseph Nacchio of the Federal Pretzel Baking Company.

1978: The first machine-produced soft pretzel was created at Federal Pretzel Baking Company.

1993: The Pretzel Museum opens in Philadelphia, operated by the Nacchio family.

2003: Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declares April 26 National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

Places, physical or meta-art forms, groups or organizations in the United States named for pretzels

• A Place (Park): The Philadelphia Recreation Department memorialized the Philadelphia style pretzel cuisine of local bakers. A facility formerly identified as Manayunk Park, located on the 4300 block of Silverwood Street, was renamed by the City in 2004 as "Pretzel Park." The park design has pretzel like looped pathways and includes a public statue symbolizing a pretzel.
• A Place (Trademark): The City of Freeport, Illinois, also known as "Pretzel City USA", adopted the trademark for the City when the Billerbeck Bakery, which was established in 1869, flooded the marketplace with cripsy baked pretzels. The Freeport High School mascot is the Pretzels.
• In Dance: The pretzel dance move developed in swing dancing, which dates back to the 1920s, where the African American community discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop, while dancing to contemporary jazz music. It was also adopted by salsa dancing.
• In Design: The Pretzel Chair furniture was designed in 1952 for George Nelson, who was an influential figure in American design during the second half of the twentieth century. During the 1950s, designers developed for him an expressive range of seating pieces, several of which have achieved classic status.
• In Design: Roller coaster elements. While going through a pretzel loop, riders are upside down at the beginning, and on their backs and going backwards at the bottom. The riders then regain normal flying position at the exit of the loop.
• In Fashion: The sling bikini pretzel bathing suit design emerged in the early 1990s, as a new fashion product of Spandex. It is a bikini variant, haltered maillot that criss-crosses the front and fastens to the waistline. With the advent of the 1990s fabric known as Lycra, these bikinis first emerged and became most popular on the beaches of Europe, including Saint Tropez, Marabella, Mykonos and Ibiza.
• In Music: Pretzel Logic is the name of a single released by the pop music group Steely Dan from their album Pretzel Logic, originally released in 1974. Pretzel Nugget is a 1994 EP by the Beastie Boys, released on the Grand Royal records label.
• An Expression in Music: French horns are sometimes called "pretzels" by their players, and a "pretzel bender" can mean a musician who plays one, a wrestler, or a man who drinks too much.
• An Expression in Politics: Americans use the phrase "pretzel logic" in reference to political thinking in government actions that are looped without an outcome.
• An Expression in Pop Culture: The 1990s American TV situation comedy Seinfeld was responsible for several new pop culture expressions. TV series supporting actor Cosmo Kramer landed a speaking part in a Woody Allen film, and he practiced his line with his co-stars Jerry, Elaine, and George. The line was "these pretzels are making me thirsty." Eventually, the phrase is used as a general expression of frustration by cast members and repeated in the media.
• In Literature: David Brenner, an international comedian born in Philadelphia called his memoir 1983 book Soft Pretzels With Mustard. He adopted the ultimate street food as the title because this humble twist of bread seemed indigenously Philadelphian; and while growing up there, it symbolized his cultural roots
• In Language: "Pretzelphyte" is a phrase coined in Philadelphia meaning a follower loyal to soft pretzels; or a soft pretzel aficionado.

Viipurinrinkeli, a pretzel from Vyborg (Finnish: Viipuri), Russia

Pretzels in other countries

Although not as popular as among German speakers and Americans, the looped pretzel is known in other European countries and in other countries around the world. In the Czech Republic, the pretzel is known as preclík, in Finland as viipurinrinkeli. The Spanish, French and Italians call it pretzel, bretzel or brezel, the Dutch favor sweet variants called krakeling, Norwegian and Danish call it a kringle, in Polish it is precel, and in Hungarian it is perecz.

Turkish Simit

A circular sesame-coated pretzel known as a simit (Turkish) is popular in Turkey, as well as many former Ottoman provinces in the Balkans and Middle East, where it is also known by several names, including Aramaic qeluro/qelora, koulouri (Greek: κουλούρι), đevrek (Serbian: ђеврек), gjevrek (Macedonian: ѓеврек) or gevrek (Bulgarian: геврек).

Pretzel sticks and varieties

Party pretzels

Crispy pretzels originated in the United States, where, in 1850, the Sturgis bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania, became the first commercial hard pretzel bakery. Party pretzels can be shaped as sticks (around 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick and 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long), loops, braids, letters or little pretzels; they have become a popular snack in many countries around the world. A thicker variety of sticks can be 1 centimetre (0.39 in) thick; in the U. S. these are called Bavarian pretzels. Unlike the soft pretzels, these are durable when kept in an airtight environment. In Europe, party pretzels are usually sprinkled with salt, but also with sesame seed, poppy seed or cheese. In the U. S., they come in many varieties of flavors and different coatings, such as yoghurt, chocolate, strawberry, mustard, cheese and others, and chocolate-covered hard pretzels are popular around Christmas time. In the Philadelphia area, crumbled hard pretzels are a common accompaniment to ice cream as a cone or topping.

Gallery

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  Typical Speyer pretzel on top of one covered with cheese
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  Pretzels for sale in Alsace
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  Bavarian pretzel with Weisswurst
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  Bakery sign in Ravensburg with a typical Swabian lye pretzel
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  Street vendor in Bonn
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  Pretzel stand in Speyer

See also

• Kringle
• Snyder's of Hanover