Pretzels: A Twisty Treat
History of Pretzels:
Pretzels were first created in 610 A.D. by a monk. He used them to reward
his students when they recited their prayers correctly. Bread is made from
water, flour, and salt. This simplicity is what made it popular with the
Catholic Church to be consumed by the people during Lent. Quickly, pretzels
became a source of good luck, almost like a charm. The quote “tying the knot”
originated from couples incorporating pretzels into their wedding ceremony
in the 17th century. After that, pretzels moved to America, presumably on
the Mayflower by the pilgrims in order to trade with the indians. Once in
America, specifically Pennsylvania, which was and still is the largest
pretzel-making city in America, the first ever commercial bread bakery was
opened in Lititz Pennsylvania in 1861 by Julius Sturgis. Sturgis is also
credited with officially inventing hard pretzels, which ended up being more
popular than soft ones and had a longer shelf life, along with the ability
to be shipped farther. Finally, in the year 1935, the Reading Pretzel
Machinery Company created an automatic pretzel maker which allowed 245
pretzels to made an hour compared to the previous 40 handmade per hour.
his students when they recited their prayers correctly. Bread is made from
water, flour, and salt. This simplicity is what made it popular with the
Catholic Church to be consumed by the people during Lent. Quickly, pretzels
became a source of good luck, almost like a charm. The quote “tying the knot”
originated from couples incorporating pretzels into their wedding ceremony
in the 17th century. After that, pretzels moved to America, presumably on
the Mayflower by the pilgrims in order to trade with the indians. Once in
America, specifically Pennsylvania, which was and still is the largest
pretzel-making city in America, the first ever commercial bread bakery was
opened in Lititz Pennsylvania in 1861 by Julius Sturgis. Sturgis is also
credited with officially inventing hard pretzels, which ended up being more
popular than soft ones and had a longer shelf life, along with the ability
to be shipped farther. Finally, in the year 1935, the Reading Pretzel
Machinery Company created an automatic pretzel maker which allowed 245
pretzels to made an hour compared to the previous 40 handmade per hour.
Bread Facts:
- In 2002, while watching the Baltimore-Miami NFL game, George W. Bush choked on a pretzel and lost consciousness.
- Pretzels were considered good luck charms in the 16th century and were even present in weddings.
- More than $500 million worth of pretzels are sold each year in the US, and 80% of that is from Pennsylvania.
- In Austria, pretzels were put in Christmas trees and were hid with eggs on Easter.
Types of Pretzels:
Pretzels can have toppings, fillings, and other combinations to add to the taste. The original pretzels were made of soft, warm, baked dough. Soon after, the hard pretzel was made after an apprentice left the dough on for too long before trying it and realizing it was actually good. There is a lot of different dough that can be used to make pretzels, including sour-dough, whole wheat, and others. Hard pretzels usually don't have fillings, but some common additives for hard pretzels are mustard, butter and honey. Soft pretzels are usually served hot, and have fillings included ranging from sweet to savory. Fillings include chocolate, apple, egg, cheese, and caramel.
Editors of Publications International, Ltd. “Pretzel Facts.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, April 21, 2008. https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pretzel-facts.htm.
Pruitt, Sarah. “The Pretzel: A Twisted History.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, April 24, 2015. https://www.history.com/news/the-pretzel-a-twisted-history.
Smith, Mary. “Types of Pretzels.” LEAFtv, March 14, 2019. https://www.leaf.tv/articles/types-of-pretzels/.
I found that baklava started as a stark contrast to pretzels. While both pretzels and baklava where simple foods, baklava could only be enjoyed by the wealthy in the past. Pretzels could be enjoyed by everyone who wanted it due to its simplicity. However, nowadays baklava is also a simple dish for all kinds of people, and pretzels are too.
ReplyDeletePretzels are such a great food and they have an interesting origin story. Vhils' art is kind of like pretzels with filling. You don't get the whole thing just looking at the outside, the bigger picture is on the inside.
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