When is National Pretzel Day?
Wednesday April 26thOn April 26th, the National Pretzel Day in the United States honors one of America's favorite snacks. What is the day? A bag of nice crunchy, salty pretzels or a large, soft, cinnamon pretzel is the question of the day. 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 that monks created it. "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 says the strips of baked dough, folded to fit arms crossing the chest, pretiola (no prizes)."
According to another source, the invention was discovered in a monastery in southern France. A thousand years ago, the looped pretzel may also be related to a Greek Ring bread made in monasteries' communion bread. Pretzels had a religious significance in the Catholic Church because of both ingredients and shape.. The loops in pretzels may have served a useful function; bakers could hang them on sticks, protruding upwards 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. At this time, many handmade pretzel bakeries populated central Pennsylvania, and their fame quickly expanded. In the twentieth century, soft pretzels became extremely popular in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York.
