Whereas with all foods, there is a history to be traced, a beginning and an evolution. So it is with the pretzel. Location did the pretzel originate and how has it changed?
History or tales of the pretzel state that because early because 610AD at a abbey finally in Southern France or Northern Italy, monks used scraps of almighty dollar and formed them into strips to epitomize a child ' s arms folded in prayer. The three empty holes represented the Christian Trinity. The monks offered the flushed, doughy bribe to children who had memorized their Bible verses and prayers. The monks called it a Pretiola, Latin for little reward. The tete-a-tete was subsequent adopted and well-timed by the Italians into the conversation Brachiola, which means little arms. A page from the prayer book of Catherine of Cleves depicts St. Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels, which were regard to bring good fortune, prosperity and spiritual wholeness to those who ate them.
The Pretiola journeyed beyond the French and Italian wine regions, hiked the Alps, wandered through Austria, and crossed into Germany, situation it became declared thanks to the Bretzel or Pretzel.
In medieval times merchants caravan to the Frankfurt Detached risked being robbed by bandits. In succession to guard the tradesmen, the towns ' people would ride out, welcome the vendors and overture them pewter pitchers of wine and loads of crisp boodle on their spears, called Geleit - pretzels.
The shape of the Pretzel worked its way into the culture not unique as a reward but as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Street corner vendors began offering them as so. Before Easter chocolate there was the Easter pretzel. The pretzel was served with two hardboiled eggs and hidden around farms for children to find. Weddings in Europe for a time used the tradition of the bride and groom tugging at a pretzel like a wishbone, the larger piece assured the spouses fulfillment of their wishes.
German children had other connections to the pretzel, too. They tied pretzels on a string around their necks at the beginning of a new year for prosperity, health and good fortune.
Pretzels are shown in paintings with one of the more famous pictures called " The Fight Between Carnival and Lent " by Pieter Bruegel in 1559. The pretzels are shown in the lower right hand corner. A 17th century woodcut, copied from a cathedral in Bern, Switzerland, depicts the " marriage knot " as being a pretzel.
How is the pretzel good luck? Another story states that during the 1500 ' s, the city of Vienna was under siege by Ottoman Turks. Thwarted in their efforts to break through the city ' s walled fortifications, the Turks began tunneling below ground. Pretzel bakers, working through the night, heard the strange noises in the cellars, and notified the guard. The city was saved, and the grateful emperor awarded the pretzel bakers an honorary coat of arms!
European countries are not the only countries with pretzel stories. Within American, the pretzel was said to be discovered in the late seventeenth century when a baker ' s helper fell asleep tending pretzels baking in the hearth. When he awoke, the flames had died and he believed the pretzels hadn ' t cooked long enough and started the fire up again. When the Master Baker came in, he was furious that an entire batch of pretzels were not fit to eat. In the process of throwing them out, he tasted one and realized he was on to something big! Not only did he like the taste of these delicious crunchy morsels but realized due to the moisture being baked entirely out, that freshness was preserved and they would keep longer to sell.
Others say the immigrants brought the " bretzel " to the United States during the 1800 ' s. It had been Americanized and claimed to have even been on the Mayflower and traded with the early Native Americans, who loved them.
As far as commercializing the pretzel, history shows that in the town of Lititz in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a man named Julius Sturgis began selling the pretzel. Pretzels later become industrialized, that is, made in mass, in 1935 when the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company first introduced the automatic pretzel twisting machine. Prior to that, most commercial pretzels were actually shaped by a cracker - cutting machine, then placed on baking pans and put into the baking ovens by hand. This innovation made pretzels available to people in all parts of the country, and helped the fledgling industry grow.
Today, annual pretzel sales top $180 million and are the second most popular snack, right behind potato chips and just in front of popcorn.
Pretzels today are made from many different grains. Toppings go beyond coarse salt, poppy or sesame seeds, and now boast such exotic coverings as cheese, chocolate and pizza flavorings. Although pretzel rods, ultra thin pretzels and pretzels chunks, clumps, sticks, rings and chips are also sold by such companies at Bachman, Snyder ' s and others, the original " pretiola " shaped snack still sells best.
Pretzels have also found their way into salads, hors - d ' ouvres and to accompany soups, dips and fruit.
The pretzel has survived many years of competition from other snack foods and has survived - so who is to say they don ' t represent good luck as this is quite the feat.
