Did you know that April 26 is National Pretzel Day? Whether you enjoy them soft and warm or hard and crunchy, there’s no denying the pretzel’s popularity as a premium pick for snacking. In fact, folks from all over the world have been craving these doughy delights universally for many centuries now.
While the enduring longevity of the pretzel predates the very founding of the New World and even the establishment of the United States, it was here in the state of Pennsylvania, no less that the traditional pretzel experienced many key developments to its being. From mass production methods to a purely Americanized adaptation that would catch on globally as a new standard, in this Flashback Friday Feature I’m recounting the tasty, twisted tales and tidbits behind the establishment of the American pretzel.
Rooted in Christianity
Before making the jump to its New World establishment, let’s revisit the pretzel’s European origins. Nobody knows for sure the exact date for when the very first pretzels were baked into being, but early records indicate that they likely came about sometime during the 6th or 7th century. Furthermore, the pretzel’s foundational history appears to have several distinctly Christian associations. It is believed that their creators were none other than European monks who developed the distinctive knot shape design as a way of representing the Holy Trinity. The three holes were formed to symbolize the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These baked morsels were handed out by the monks to young children as “pretiolas,” meaning “little rewards” in Latin, for having recited their prayers correctly.
Pretzels had another religious connotation in the 7th century as well. As it was, the consumption of pretzels was a pretty popular go-to during the season of Lent. Given how Lenten practices from long ago were far more rigid than they are today, adherents would abstain from all forms of dairy, egg, and meat for 40 days. Pretzels being concocted from a simple mixture of water, flour, and salt, were therefore deemed appropriate to consume during this time of atonement.
Which Nation?
There is some debate in determining which nation can rightfully lay claim to being the birthplace of the pretzel. Germany often gets the credit, particularly the Bavarian region, but no one can know for sure. The Germans even coined their own word for the twisted tasty treats— “bretzels” from the Latin-derived “bracellae” for little arms. Combine this with the aforementioned “pretiolas” and we can perhaps surmise where our modern English version of “pretzel” probably originated from.
While they remained favorable throughout Germany (and remain so today), the fact is that pretzel popularity took off all around Europe during the Middle Ages making for a less definable starting point. There are even accounts during the 1600s where the interlocking loops of pretzels were used as a symbol of undying love in royal Swiss wedding ceremonies. They were also worn by German children as necklaces for good luck on New Year’s.
Pretzels Land in the New World
Regardless of whether Germany truly was the birthplace of the first pretzels, their prominence in German culture cannot be denied. Therefore, as is the case with so many German-derived traditions that eventually emerged on the mainstream scene in the New World, pretzels were brought over to the Americas by the German immigrants settling in Pennsylvania. Of course, there is at least one earlier unconfirmed account of pretzels coming over with the pilgrims on the Mayflower (and then being used for trading with Native Americans). But for the sake of more concrete proof as a foundational backing, the German scenario is the most likely one.
How Pennsylvania Shaped the American Pretzel Industry
Pretzels have been a part of the Pennsylvania framework since at least 1710. But for the first 150 years or so they were most often made by hand and utilized more localized distribution methods. As their popularity expanded throughout the United States, other regions also took to handmaking them locally. It wasn’t until 1861 that Julius Sturgis established the very first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States, based in Lititz in Lancaster County. This set a trend of sorts, and soon many other pretzel bakeries came into being as well. Some prominent names you may recognize in Pennsylvania include Snyder’s of Hanover (1909), Utz (1921), Herr’s (1946), and many others. The Anderson Pretzel Factory in Lancaster, which was founded in 1889, has since become known as the world’s largest producer of pretzels—putting out 65 tons of the good stuff daily!
Yet it was again the pioneering Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery that gets credit for having implemented perhaps the most telling tasty twist in the pretzel saga. Theirs was the development of something original, new, and distinctly American—the very first intentionally created hard pretzels. Before this time, pretzels were only ever served soft and warm. But Sturgis played with the concept of hard pretzels and eventually concluded that both variations of the same baked recipe were delicious. Hard pretzels, however, proved especially lucrative in the fact they boasted a longer shelf life and could be sealed in airtight containers and even shipped and distributed far and wide.
For a time, however, there was still the matter of just how many pretzels could be made and distributed simultaneously. A trained worker could roll out somewhere within the range of 40 or so pretzels per minute to be baked. So, when the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company introduced the first automated pretzel maker in 1935 it presented the ultimate game-changer. With this new invention, bakers could now easily roll out 245 pretzels per minute.
Persisting Pretzel Popularity
While American in origin, hard pretzels have grown to become just as universally loved throughout the world as their classic soft-baked counterparts. Some would even say they are arguably more so, as they’ve even succeeded in redefining preexisting standards for what most people think of when the word “pretzel” is mentioned. Their versatility and variability regarding size, shape, and even flavor options can’t be denied either.
Pennsylvania is the uncontested pretzel-making capital in all of North America. Did you know that 80 percent of all pretzels produced in the United States are made in this state alone? That’s why back in 2003 the then-Pennsylvania Governor officially declared April 26 to be National Pretzel Day as a way to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to both the state’s history and economy.
Pretzel celebrations and festivals are held annually in Pennsylvania, including the famed West Reading Craft Pretzel & Beer Fest happening tomorrow and the Lititz Pretzel Fest coming up in May. In addition to these, you’ll find plenty of other pretzel pleasantries to enjoy as well, including pretzel bakery tours and other twisted tantalizations.
Whether or not Germany truly is the birthplace of the very first pretzel, the fact remains that Pennsylvania is where the development of a truly unique American twist on the contested classic was established.