The Catholic Church played a leading role in the early history of the pretzel. In the seventh century, the church dictated stricter rules governing fasting and abstinence during Lent than it does today. Pretzels, made of a simple mixture of water, flour and salt, were an ideal food to consume during Lent, when all types of meat, dairy and eggs were prohibited.
The first pretzels were baked as a soft, squishy bread, like the soft pretzels of today. Some say they were originally called “bracellae,” the Latin term for “little arms,” from which Germans later derived the word “bretzel.” According to others, the earliest pretzels were dubbed “pretiolas,” meaning “little rewards,” and handed out by the monks when their young pupils recited their prayers correctly. Whatever they may have been called, the popularity of these twisty treats spread across Europe during the Middle Ages. Seen as a symbol of good luck, prosperity and spiritual fulfillment, pretzels were also commonly distributed to the poor, as a way of providing them with both spiritual and literal sustenance.
Pretzels—or those who made them—took a particularly dramatic turn in the spotlight in 1510, when Ottoman Turks attempted to invade Vienna, Austria, by digging tunnels underneath the city’s walls. Monks baking pretzels in the basem*nt of a monastery heard the enemy’s progress and alerted the rest of the city, then helped defeat the Turkish attack. As a reward, the Austrian emperor gave the pretzel bakers their own coat of arms.
By the 17th century, the interlocking loops of the pretzel had come to symbolize undying love as well. Pretzel legend has it that in 1614 in Switzerland, royal couples used a pretzel in their wedding ceremonies (similar to how a wishbone might be used today) to seal the bond of matrimony, and that this custom may have been the origin of the phrase “tying the knot.” In Germany—the country and people most associated with the pretzel throughout history—17th-century children wore pretzel necklaces on New Year’s to symbolize good luck and prosperity for the coming year.
When did pretzels make their way to America? One rumor has it that the doughy knots came over on the Mayflower, and were used by the Pilgrims for trade with the Native Americans they met in the New World. German immigrants certainly brought pretzels with them when they began settling in Pennsylvania around 1710. In 1861, Julius Sturgis founded one of the first commercial pretzel bakeries in the town of Lititz in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Sturgis also claimed credit for developing the first hard pretzels—or at least, for being the first to intentionally bake hard pretzels (rather than leave the soft ones in the oven too long by accident). The crispy snacks lasted longer in an airtight container, allowing them to be sold further away from the bakery itself and to stay on shelves longer. Eventually, hard pretzels would come to be arguably even more popular than their soft counterparts.
Until the 1930s, pretzels were still manufactured by hand. But in 1935, the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company introduced the first automated pretzel maker, which enabled bakers to put out some 245 pretzels per minute, compared with the 40 per minute an individual worker could make by hand. Today, Pennsylvania remains the American pretzel-making capital, as a full 80 percent of U.S.-made pretzels come from the Keystone State.
FAQs
Bretzel is the German word for what we know as pretzel. When creating his own pretzel company in 1911, Adolph Benzel gave his central Pennsylvania bakery the name of Benzel's Bretzel Bakery. A hundred years later, the name on the door of the family-owned business remains the same.
What is the meaning behind the interlocking loops of the pretzel? ›
In the 17th century, the pretzel's interlocking loops also came to symbolize undying love. Some couples even grasped the ends of the pretzel and unraveled it during wedding ceremonies — one possible origin of the phrase “tying the knot."
What does the pretzel symbolize? ›
Whatever they may have been called, the popularity of these twisty treats spread across Europe during the Middle Ages. Seen as a symbol of good luck, prosperity and spiritual fulfillment, pretzels were also commonly distributed to the poor, as a way of providing them with both spiritual and literal sustenance.
What is the story of the pretzel twist? ›
Christians of the day prayed with their arms folded across their chests, each hand on the opposite shoulder. It occurred to him that he could twist the leftover dough from the bread into this shape and use it as a treat for the children to recite their prayers.
Why is a pretzel twisted? ›
The pretzel was invented by European monks in the early Middle Ages, possibly in the 6th or 7th century. The monks used the pretzel's distinctive knot shape to represent the Holy Trinity, with the three holes in the pretzel symbolizing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Why do Americans say pretzel? ›
Pretzel comes from a German word that is now spelled Brezel in modern standard German. The English spelling pretzel with p probably reflects the pronunciation of Brezel in one of the dialects of southern Germany.
What is the shape twist of the pretzel supposed to represent? ›
The Catholic Church claims that a monk in Northern Italy created pretzels by using left-over dough that was originally made for Lent. He created the signature pretzel shape because it was meant to symbolize a child praying with his arms folded across his chest.
What does pretzel mean in the Bible? ›
Christian Roots
They believe the pretzel shape represents the holy trinity, the three holes representing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Soft pretzels using a simple recipe of only flour, water, and salt were used during Lent when Christians were not permitted to eat eggs, lard, or any dairy products.
What does this emoji mean 🥨? ›
The pretzel emoji 🥨 depicts a salty, heart-shaped, twisted pretzel. The emoji is commonly used in posts about pretzels and other baked treats. It's also commonly associated with Germany.
What snack was invented by monks? ›
There are numerous accounts regarding the origin of pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most state that they have Christian backgrounds and were invented by European monks.
Pretzels are also strongly associated with Lent, as they do not contain eggs or dairy and are thus ideal for fasting. It started popping up in medieval art as a lucky symbol, most famously in Herrad of Landsberg's encyclopedia Hortus Deliciarum.
What is the twist of the story? ›
What is a twist in a story? Plot twists are an unexpected change in the events of a story that changes the direction of the plot and surprises the reader. Twists do not follow the path of the story that was set out or suggested by the author at the beginning.
Are pretzels a symbol of love? ›
In the 17th century, the pretzel's interlocking loops also came to symbolize undying love. Some couples even grasped the ends of the pretzel and unraveled it during wedding ceremonies — one possible origin of the phrase “tying the knot."
What is the brief history of the pretzel? ›
While no one knows for sure how pretzels originated, the most popular story is that in 610 A.D., while baking bread, an Italian monk decided to create a special treat to motivate his distracted students. He rolled out ropes of dough, twisted them to resemble hands crossed on the chest in prayer, and then baked them.
What is the meaning of bretzel? ›
A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard German: Breze(l) () is a type of baked pastry made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot.
What do Germans call pretzels? ›
Only US have pretzels, Swiss Bretzel, Bavarians Brezn and most Germans and Alsatian Brezel . Every region has its real original one.
What is bretzel in German? ›
Depending on the dialect, pretzels are called Brezel (High German), Brezn (in Bavaria and Austria), Bretzel (in Switzerland) or one of many similar names, based on the region.
