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 huge, soft, cinnamon pretzel. Both of them are a good choice.
There are several sources of the pretzel's origins. Most people agree that it does have a Christian origins and that monks made it. According to The History of Science and Technology, "an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who read their prayers." He calls the baked dough strips folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, pretiola (little rewards)."
The invention was discovered in a monastery in southern France, according to another source. The looped pretzel may also be related to a Greek Ring bread used in monasteries a thousand years ago. Pretzels had a religious significance in the Catholic Church because of both ingredients and shape. As shown in Job Berckheyde's (1681) painting, the loops in pretzels may have served a practical purpose; bakers could hang them on sticks, projecting upwards from a central column.
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.
