What does the pretzel shape 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The Catholic Church claims that a monk in Northern Italy created pretzels by using left-over dough that was originally made for Lent.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.

Who eats the most pretzels in the United States?

Philadelphians
Who Eats the Most? So, who eats the most pretzels in the U.S.? That honor goes to Philadelphia. While Americans on average eat around 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) of pretzels annually, Philadelphians eat about 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms) per year!

What state produces 80% of the nations pretzels?

Pennsylvania
If you live in Pennsylvania, congratulations, you are part of the state that is home to 80% of the nation’s pretzel production! And not only do we make them, but Pennsylvanians are also responsible for most of the consumption of pretzels!

What is the name of the oldest pretzel bakery in the US?

The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery
The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, founded in 1861 is the first commercial pretzel bakery in America; and the Sturgis Family is the oldest pretzel baking family in America.

What is the story behind the pretzel?

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 …

What state is known for pretzels?

Today, Pennsylvania remains the American pretzel-making capital, as a full 80 percent of U.S.-made pretzels come from the Keystone State.

Where are the most pretzels made in the US?

Pennsylvania is the center of American pretzel production for both hard and soft pretzels, producing 80% of the nation’s pretzels. The annual United States pretzel industry is worth over $550 million. The average American consumes about 1.5 pounds of pretzels per year.

Why are pretzels so popular in Pennsylvania?

Why are we so pretzel-obsessed? Like so many of our iconic foods, PA’s pretzel mania can be traced back to some of the first European settlers to come here. The German immigrants who settled here in the late-18th and 19th centuries brought with them a long tradition of pretzel-baking (they’re called brezels in German).

What’s the pretzel capital of the world?

Reading
A year or two before the Civil War, a pretzel baker moved with his family from the Moravian Village, Lititz, to Reading, then a city of some 20,000 inhabitants. And today, just 88 years later, Reading is the pretzel capital of the world.

Who invented the pretzel?

While most early pretzels were of the soft variety, a German baker in Lititz, Pa., Julius Sturgis, reportedly started the first commercial pretzel bakery in 1861 and claimed credit as the creator of the first true hard pretzels.

Are pretzels German or Italian?

The pretzel’s real origins are as tangled as its shape. Legend traces it to medieval Europe, where Italian monks reportedly created treats to reward schoolchildren by baking dough with arms shaped in prayer. The tradition spread through Europe, and pretzels became associated with good luck and eternal love.

Why are pretzels German?

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.

Are pretzels Catholic?

Some traditions say that the earliest pretzels were rewards monks gave to their students for reciting their prayers correctly. But they ultimately became popular because of their simple ingredient list. The first pretzels were made with just flour, salt, and water.

Why do people put mustard on pretzel?

According to her, spreading mustard on pretzels-which is the way Philadelphians eat them-started in the 1920s with the selling of pretzels from hot dog carts. The mustard provided a disguise for the blisters that salt forms on humid days.

Why does Philadelphia eat so many pretzels?

“They eat our product and smile, and associate it with fun memories, either of childhood or at a game.” Sports arenas are a huge market for SuperPretzel. Law estimates the iconic “pretzel tree” display warmer spins at more than 150 stadiums across the nation, including close to 100 percent of ballparks.

What country is famous for pretzels?

Germany
Though they originated in southern Germany (as well as across its borders in Austria, Alsace and German-speaking Switzerland), pretzel production crept north of what Heinzelmann calls the Pretzel Belt, roughly halfway up the country, again thanks to industrialization.

What is America’s favorite pretzel?

Robert S. Walker of Pennsylvania, then re-declared by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell in 2003 to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to Keystone State’s history and economy. For more than 100 years, Americans have enjoyed Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels.

What state is famous for pretzels?

Wormelysburg, Pennsylvania is the center of American pretzel production for both the hard-crispy and the soft-bread types of pretzels.