Many Christian services expend unleavened wafer to stand in for the bread Jesus broke during the last supper . But peradventure they should soften out some pretzels rather . Someilluminated manuscriptsfrommedieval Europeactually show Christ treating the 12 disciples to a feast of the misrepresented snack the nighttime before his crucifixion .
This detail is more indicative of the point when the exemplification were made than the time of the last supper . During the Middle Ages , pretzels were apopular Lenten food . The wheat flour dough does n’t moderate sum , nut , sugar , or dairy farm , which stand for Catholics could eat the simple treats even if they were on a highly qualified diet . pretzel were so omnipresent in the week go up to Easter that it was natural for mediaeval artists to swipe them into their depictions of Jesus ’s concluding meal .
Whether they ’re crunchy or soft , pretzel are enjoyed in various secular options today , from bars to baseball games to city street corner . So how did they go from virtuous , Vatican - sanction fare to one of the most popular snack food on the planet ? Why did Prohibition give pretzels a boost here in the States ? And which is the true pretzel : the definitive softy or its hard - shelled first cousin ? No matter which pretzel you choose , you ’re guarantee to find something to chew on in the bite ’s delectable history .
The Pretzel’s Debated Origins
The origin of the pretzel is much argue . accord to one legend , Italian monks first had the idea to writhe strand of dough into summary parcel around the 7th century CE . These treats , dubbedpretiola , or “ little reward , ” were pass to untested students who enunciate their supplicant right . This is read to be why the scorched good ’s contour resemblestwo arm fold in prayer .
A vie theory hunt the etymology ofpretzelto the German language by way of Latin . In Latin , bracellaemeans “ little arm , ” and the Germanbrezelwith abmay have stem from there . If so , English verbalizer misread the fashion Germans were say the “ b ” and switched it to a “ p. ”
There ’s also disagreement over how and why pretzels got their unique form . rather of folded arms , it ’s potential the food for thought was originally mean torepresent the Holy Trinitythrough its three holes .
Another origin story require the provenance away from Christianity solely and ties the pretzel topagan practicesinstead . Some historiographer connect the solid food ’s key signature shape with ritual baking . accord tothe folklorist Dr. Hilda Ellis Davidson , in several different cultures , baked goodness used to be made in a kind of shapes , admit shin bone bones , boars , and even genitals before being used for religious rite . Other historians , in turn , link up this practice to pretzel and suggest they ’re intended to paint a picture something like ritual sepulchral arm - rings or , according to one historian , a symbolical slip noose .
Whatever religious symbolisation they may have been design to evoke , the unique condition probably would n’t have adhere around if it did n’t also proffer convenience . The holes allowed baker to hang fresh pretzels on poles inshop windows , which avail draw in thirsty customers . It ’s not so different from what happens today when people smell an Auntie Anne ’s from the other side of the food tribunal .
Pretzel Chemistry
The pretzels relish from the Middle Ages through the other Modern Era were of the easygoing , chewy variety , but Americans today actuallyconsume more backbreaking pretzels . For either variety , the cheekiness is key .
The outside of a pretzel should be smooth , burnished , and dark-brown , contrasting with its pale interior . Bakers achieve this look using some canny chemistry . Before it goes in the oven , shaped pretzel dough gets dipped in a caustic alkaline solution . Alkaline isbasicallythe opposite of acidic . Lye , also known as atomic number 11 hydroxide , is a caustic alkali which can be used to unclog waste pipe , make liquid ecstasy , and fade out carcasses . It ’s also a lively element in manypretzel recipes — though , to be clear , nutrient - score lye is a much purer product than the stuff you may clean up at the ironware store .
Soaking pretzels in a diluted lye solution pays off with something have it away as theMaillard Reaction . First described by French pill roller Louis Camille Maillard in 1912 , this chemical reaction plays a role in many of the tastiest nutrient we consume . When foods are subjected to the complex interplay of time and temperature ( among other factor ) , many of the sugars and amino group loony toons inside them break down and rearrange to produce colors , flavors , and textures that thirsty humans determine appealing . If you ’ve ever jest at a poulet , you ’ve used the Maillard Reaction to your advantage .
This process is what gives bread its nappy , dark-brown crust — and pretzel come out calculate even darker than most sunbaked goods by submit a caustic bath . Alkaline element speed up the Maillard Reaction by breaking down protein in the dough before it enters the oven . Without soaking in an alkaline solution , fully - cooked pretzels would end up looking pale instead of develop the abstruse brown exterior they ’re famous for .
Though lye is commonly used in pretzel factories , slenderly gentler alkalis such as baking sodium carbonate can be used to achieve the same burden . And do n’t worry if your favourite brand uses the unassailable stuff — once they ’re baked , pretzels soaked in sodium hydroxide ca n’t dissolve human flesh — unlike pineapples , by the bye . The tropical fruit contains something calledbromelainthat breaks down proteins … which means that when you take a bite of pineapple , it ’s biting you back .
Soft and Chewy vs. Hard and Crunchy Pretzels
How mod pretzels became strong and crunchy is its own fib . In 1861 , 26 - twelvemonth - old entrepreneurJulius Sturgisopened a pretzel bakery in Lititz , Pennsylvania . accord to one edition of the story , he get out a mountain in the oven for too long one twenty-four hour period , but alternatively of throw them out , he gave the well - done morsels a taste perception . In addition to being delicious , these ironic , brickle pretzel lasted much longer than the kind he ordinarily made . Sturgis hone his tough pretzel formula and began selling them as a shelf - unchanging , snackable alternative to the flaccid variety the great unwashed were familiar with .
Alternatively , it ’s sometimes enunciate that in the 1850s Sturgis was apprenticing atanotherbakery when someone , possibly aGerman immigrant , was passing through Ithiel Town and inquire for food . Sturgis fed him and in return the man gave Sturgis a recipe for surd pretzels .
While that story might seem guileful — it voice a little bit like the pretzel fairy come to town and bestowed his witching collation food on Sturgis — there is evidence of strong pretzels predating 1861.A newspaper clause from 1854discusses German refugees coming to the United States in great numbers , noting , “ As they can not speak English , they crowd into the Dutch boarding houses , and beer saloons , and during the twenty-four hour period may be see swig their mug of [ lager ] beer , and [ chew ] those punishing , crisp salted cake which the Germans call Bretzels . ” This version could still make way for an neglectful bread maker , but that bread maker would likely have been a long path from Pennsylvania .
Either mode , Pennsylvania continues to be the pretzel capital letter of the U.S. When a deluge of German immigrant settle in the Keystone State in the eighteenth and 19th centuries , they bestow their country ’s culinary art with them . As the influence of the group grew , the rest of the state adapted component part of their culture , including their love of pretzel . Today,80 per centum of pretzelsmade in America are manufactured in Pennsylvania .
Pretzels, Beer, and Mustard
Philadelphiain particular is famous for its soft pretzels . Even as the hard pretzel became a popular snack to have at home , multitude uphold to eat easy pretzel on the streets of the City of Brotherly Love . The treat ’s portability made it a no - brainer for street cart vendors . And once it ’s bake , the formula requires no extra ingredients — other than a dollop of mustard , of course .
Germanshave long attend to pretzel with whole - grain mustard , but American street vendors may have been the first to slather pretzel with the shining - lily-livered version of the condiment . The grains of salt on pretzel can form bleb on the incrustation on humid days , and vendors who sold both pretzels and hot frankfurter may have covered these blemishes with themustardthey already had in their go-cart .
Beer is another point commonly couple with pretzels . In the belated 19th century , pretzel became a popularoffering at saloons , which typically did n’t serve full meals like taverns did . If a saloon possessor wanted to give customers something to snack on without charter a cook , pretzels made staring sense . Along with being easy to function , they were salty , which has the tendency to make a individual hungry . The more pretzels patrons rust , the more beer they drink , which sire more winnings for the business sector .
When War (and Prohibition) Threatened Pretzels
In the early 20th century , American drinker ’ beloved affaire with pretzels came under threat . They were still believe German fare at this point , andanti - German sentimentduring World War I triggered a wave of disdain for the treats . Some taphouse go so far as to banish the product under the guise of patriotism .
The prevention snack survived the war , but then came Prohibition , which present another challenge . Bars had been one of the pretzel diligence ’s largest buyers up to that degree , and without them maker feared they would n’t be capable to stay afloat .
But surprisingly enough , pretzel makers actually flourished under the eighteenth amendment . When former saloon patrons were forced to brew beer at home , they did n’t forget to buy pretzels to go with it . But alternatively of ordering a pretzel or two like they would at a bar , they bought them by the bagful to keep at home . AsThe Baltimore Sunreported in 1933 , pretzel product increase by 35 million pounds between 1914 and 1932 .
Pretzels Around the World
Many pretzel varieties eaten around the reality today would be comfortably suited for Fat Tuesday than Lent . In the Netherlands , pretzel - mould cookies call Krakeling are commonly served at funerals , accompanied by chocolate . Nipponese consumer also enjoy a sweeter , cooky - like interpretation of pretzelscalledPretz . Long and tight fitting instead of twisted , the snack resembles Pocky marijuana cigarette without the frosting . They come up in change likeripe tomato , butter soy sauce , and magical Milk River .
The U.S. has its own decadent versions of the traditionally plain intellectual nourishment , such as umber - covered pretzel . In2021 alone , the top two vendors of the sweet treat sell over 50 million unit between them .
Few troupe cater to international pretzel tastes quite as well asAuntie Anne ’s . In summation to the cinnamon sugar variety that ’s famous in the U.S. , the chain offers seaweed pretzels in Singapore , ube cheese snack in the Philippines , and sesame - flavored pretzel in the UK .
When you order a pretzel from a bar or street cart , you likely do n’t reckon of its account as a plain stitch , Lenten intellectual nourishment . But that is n’t for a want of try out on the part of one grouping of American Catholics . In the seventies , proponents of the Pretzels for God motion attempt to reclaim the pretzel as a Christian symbolic representation . They carry bake sale , met with the National Pretzel Bakers Institute , and even conceived a “ Ceremony of the Pretzel ” that include a particular pretzel petition especially for Ash Wednesday .
The movement failed to pick up on , and today the bite is divorced from any religious origins it may or may not have had — but that does n’t mean bite into a freshly - bake pretzel with Indian mustard ca n’t be a spiritual experience .
This story was accommodate from an instalment of Food History on YouTube .
