Pretzels made their way across the Atlantic with German immigrants who were later to be known as the Pennsylvania Dutch in the s.
However, contrary to popular belief, hard pretzels did not originate in when a baker fell asleep while he was tending his fire, burning pretzels to a crisp, as good of a story as that might have been. In , Julius Sturgis created the first commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania. These crunchy, salty snacks lasted longer in an air tight environment than soft pretzels did, allowing them to be sold in stores far away from the bakery and kept on shelves much longer.
These attributes allowed their popularity to spread rapidly and hard pretzels are now one of the best-selling salty snacks in America, sandwiched between potato chips and popcorn. Soft pretzels continue to be a popular snack item as well with push-cart pretzel vendors prevalent in Philadelphia and New York. Pretzel vendors also provided one of the first confirmed types of food delivery service, as they would go door to door selling their baked goods.
Today, pretzels are most popular in American and in Germany, where they are featured at Oktoberfest. In thanks, the Austrian emperor gave the pretzel bakers their own coat of arms which included angry lions holding a pretzel. It's still used at European pretzel shops today. So the next time you crunch away on a pretzel, just remember they've had a long journey history, from monastic joke to the baked good that may have saved a city. The Religious History of Pretzels. By Matt Blitz Updated April 17, Save FB Tweet More.
All rights reserved. Close Sign in. They became such a sacred symbol that they were often packed into coffins. As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. The bread culture became highly developed because of meatless holidays, and 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.
The Easter egg hunt may very well be a descendant of the tradition the Germans had at Easter, and are particularly associated with Lent, fasting, and prayers before Easter.
Pretzels were hidden around the farms for the children to find, just as eggs are hidden today. They were then served with two hard-boiled eggs on Good Friday. The pretzel symbolized everlasting life and the two eggs nestled in each large hole represented Easter's rebirth. A page in the prayer book used by Catharine of Cleves depicts St. Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels which were thought to bring good luck, prosperity and spiritual wholeness. A pretzel known as Brezel in German, sometimes also Brezn or Breze is a type of baked food made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape, that over the centuries has made its way into history books and European culture.
Pretzel baking has most firmly taken root in southern Germany and adjoining Upper German - speaking areas, and pretzels have been an integral part of German baking traditions for centuries.
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. The three holes in the traditional pretzel shape have also taken on religious meaning over the years. By the 16th century, children commonly hung pretzels around their neck on special occasions, and people adorned Christmas trees with the treats as decoration.
German parents even hid tiny pretzels on Easter, an early version of modern Easter egg hunts. In one particularly volatile footnote in the history of the pretzel, the salty snack once stopped Ottoman Turks from invading Vienna all the way back in Their plans were foiled, however, by a group of monks who were up late baking pretzels in the basement of their monastery and heard the advancing enemy army. The monks quickly alerted city officials, who were then able to counter the assault and stop the attempted invasion.
This lasting symbol is still seen across Europe today, with many bakeries displaying it above their doors as a sign of pride and honor in their craft. The Pilgrims are notable for bringing beer with them on the Mayflower. But they also brought pretzels — the perfect snack to go with their favorite brew.
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