What is National Pretzel Day?
On April 26th, one of America's most popular snacks is recognized on National Pretzel Day. The question of the day is whether you want a bag of nice crunchy, salty pretzels or a large, soft, cinnamon pretzel. Either one is a smart pick.
There are several different versions of the pretzel's origins. The majority of people agree that it does have a Christian origins and were not invented by the monks. "an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who read their prayers," "an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers," "an Italian monk in 610 AD." He calls the baked dough strips folded to match arms crossing the chest, pretiola (little rewards)."
According to another source, the invention was discovered in a monastery in southern France. The looped pretzel may also be related to a Greek Ring bread made in monasteries a thousand years ago. Both ingredients and shape were important in the Catholic Church, and pretzels were considered holy by both ingredients and shape. The loops in pretzels may have served a practical purpose; bakers may hang them on sticks protruding from a central column as shown in Job Berckheyde's (1681) painting.
In the 19th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants introduced pretzels to North America. Many handmade pretzel bakeries populated central Pennsylvania at this time, and their fame quickly expanded. Soft pretzels became extremely popular in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York in the twentieth century.
