Which of the following pretzel is the ‘real’ pretzel?
It’s a trick question because none of them are and all of them.
When we say Brezel or rather pretzel here in the US, we either mean the hard pretzels from companies like Snyder’s of Hanover or the soft baked pretzels you can buy at Auntie Anne’s. And they can come in different shapes like pretzel sticks or pretzel nuggets.
In Germany however, die Brezel (and its different names: die Breze, die Brez’n, die Brezget, pronounced with a long first ‘e’ in the North, a short ‘e’ in the West) always has the typical pretzel form, with a belly (Bauch) and two little arms (Ärmchen). It can be sweet or salty, a couple of centimeters or half a meter big, with different toppings and coatings, made with or without lye treatment, freshly baked or hard baked, and baked for different occasions. The name and its variations probably comes from the Latin brachium – arm, and indeed the thinner pieces of the pretzel are called Ärmchen (little arms).
Or does the name come from the old German word Brazel or Breze for arm ring or clasp? That’s what Falkenhorst says in Die Gartenlaube from 1905. But those words could also have derived from the Latin word.
Here are photos of the two most known Brezel: Münchner Brezn and Schwäbische Brezel. While both are Laugenbrezel (made with a lye treatment), the Münchner Brezn has a more even thickness throughout and the Swabian one has thinner arms which are attached lower and its belly has been sliced before baking.
Side note: The “Bayerische Breze” or “Bayrische Brezn” has been a protected name since March 2014. Only ingredients from Bavaria are to be used to make this kind of pretzel.
But before we talk about the different kinds of pretzels (in Part 2), let’s talk about the origin of this famous pastry. Like the title suggests, the history of the Brezel is full of twists and turns like it is itself. Most of the stories are speculation and legend with very little concrete proof. Obviously, it’s in the nature of these things since record keeping was not as prevalent and mostly done by churches in the Middle Ages. Most people were illiterate and so the stories that were handed down to us were solely transmitted orally.
And if we know one thing it’s that stories told and retold over time and by many different people take on a life of their own and can diverge heavily from the original. Just think about JFKs famous “Ich bin ein Berliner”. How many of you believe or have been told that he said “I am a jelly donut”? Fact is that nobody in Germany thought this at the time or now. It was very clear from context what he meant. So, what is the connection to donut? Berliner does mean jelly donut but not in Berlin. The pastry there is called Pfannkuchen, in other parts of Germany it goes by Krapfen or Kreppel. To make the confusion complete: Pfannkuchen means pancake except in the East where they are called Eierkuchen.
And the point is? Somebody says something or makes up a story for something, it gets repeated and retold, new details are being added or embellished, other details are left out and in the end you have a story or legend that explains why there are lions on the crest for bakers. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Origin of the Brezel (maybe)
The is no real consensus as to when and how to pretzel was invented. Many theories and stories surround it and after reading many, many articles about it, I can’t tell you with certainty what the origin is. Many sources copy from one another, some don’t even do the smallest amount of research (I’m looking at Google doodles), but most acknowledge that the evidence we have is anecdotal evidence.
Okay, enough talk, let’s get started with what we do know. And we’ll start in the Middle Ages. The name Brezel (in various forms) has been around since the Middle Ages and we have some depictions dating to 1030/40 and around 1160. So we know that the pretzel was well known at the time.
Early Depictions of the Pretzel
The first picture is from an illuminated book (handwritten book with painted decorations, often including gold or silver) that was produced in Regensburg, Bavaria by an unknown artist, the second and fourth are from one of the first encyclopedias, the Hortus deliciarum which Herrad of Landsberg wrote and compiled. She was the abbess of Hohenburg Abbey in the Alsace. Both locations are in the Alpine region which is also where Brezel nowadays are most common and have the greatest variety. The third picture shows St. Bartholomew, who was skinned alive, surrounded by pretzels and crackers. I found this illumination in Book of Hours commissioned by Catherine of Cleves. The work was produced in Utrecht, Netherlands around 1440.
In the Last Supper picture the pretzel stands for everlasting life (and not that they actually ate a pretzel at the Last Supper). The Hortus deliciarum (“Garden of Delights”) retells the story of the Bible, and this picture shows the Feast of Esther. The pretzel probably was as a symbol for prosperity and wealth. Monks would pass them out to children and the poor. In later times, the pretzel is also associated with good luck.
In the Book of Hours, St. Bartholomew is shown surrounded by pretzels. If there was a connection of the martyr with any baked goods its meaning got lost. St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of all leather workers like tanners, bookbinders, glove makers etc. while St. Honoratus is the patron saint of bakers and pastry makers, so that is not the connection.
Connection to Other Breads
It is often said that the Brezel with its shape derived from the Roman ring bread that was used in worship and then later, when Christianity was spread, during communion. But there is a problem: while there were certainly breads baked in ring form in Rome, I couldn’t find any references that the Romans in pre-Christian times used this bread in their worship and as sacrificial bread nor that the Catholics used this bread for communion. Whenever the Roman ring bread is mentioned it is always in reference to the origin of the Brezel, never in another context.
Romans did have certain bread they used for sacrifice. They also had ring shaped bread panis mustaceus, made out of butter and fresh cheese, with anis, cumin, and must, topped with a laurel wreath, and served at weddings. Quite different from a pretzel or bread to be used in religious rituals.
What was worshipped in Rome and was considered a symbol of good luck and prosperity was the snake. You can see its pictures on altars, public as well as home altars. And maybe that is the connection because before a pretzel becomes a pretzel it is a strip (or snake) of dough that is flung into the signature shape.
A ring bread that actually is closer in shape and dough consistency is the Greek ring bread, koulouria, or simit as it is known in Turkey. How it (maybe) made its way from Greece and/or Turkey to the Alpine region is anybody’s guess but not impossible.
As far as Eucharist wafers are concerned it is not certain what shape the bread had in the early beginnings. We do know that in Eastern churches the bread could only be made of (wheat) flour, water, yeast, and salt which are also the ingredients of the pretzel. The host in the Catholic church consisted of flour and water only and had to be freshly made (to prevent spoiling). It was often baked as small flat breads that were stamped with religious motifs.
But there is also the explanation approach that the ring bread was a symbol for the arm rings that people were normally buried with until the relatives decided to keep those valuable armlets for themselves and fashion the jewelry out of bread. The form of the armlet could vary from a simple ring form to a half ring with curled sides to make them more special. But even more similar to the pretzel is a clasp used to hold your cloak or other clothing together.
Connection to the Church: The Shape and Dough
The church and religion played a big role when it comes to pretzels, not only because of the sacramental bread having the same ingredients as a pretzel but also because it is said that monks invented the typical pretzel shape, mimicking the crossed arms during prayer (Gebildbrot – shaped bread).
The first story begins in an Italian monastery (possibly also in Southern France) in 610 CE where a monk was experimenting with left-over dough. Out of the strips he formed pretzels and gave them to the children of the community as ‘pretiola’ (little rewards) for learning their prayers properly. It is said that the shape reminded him of the children having their arms crossed in prayer. Or maybe it was interpreted like that after the fact. It would explain why we call it Brezel from Latin brachium – arm, and not pretiola.
Other meanings, probably ascribed later, are that the pretzel looks like angel’s wings, and the three holes stand for the Holy Trinity.
I was wondering if people really prayed this way to warrant the connection from praying to pretzel. Often it is claimed that this is an old way to pray and finding that Old Believers from the Eastern Orthodox Church (still) pray this way seems to verify this account. However, most of them do not cross their arms in front of their chest (so it looks like a pretzel) but in front of the stomach.
In Islam, Sunnis also pray with their hands or arms across their bodies while the Shias pray with their arms down by their sides.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), and within it especially the children, pray this way. I have also read in multiple forums that kids in Catholic School are or were taught like to pray this way. But many people suggested that the real reason behind this posture is so that the children keep their hands to themselves, where the adults can see them, and so they would stop fidgeting.
None of them really look like the pretzel form where the hands would be placed close to your shoulders. Though it could have started this way and then changed over time. There are also different ways to hold your hands during prayer from putting your palms together to interlacing your fingers.
Whatever came first, the pretzel or the praying posture, this story of the invention of the pretzel seems as good as any.
But the church has another connection to the pretzel: it was a favorite food during Lent. The pretzel was made with flour, water, and salt only, and was therefore the ideal fasting food because it didn’t contain any animal products like eggs or dairy. Along with some strong beer, you’ll make it through Lent just fine.
On this painting “The Fight between Carnival and Lent” from 1559 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder you can see white pretzels (ungelaugt, meaning not treated with the lye solution) being carried and lying on the red wagon in the Lent parade (bottom right). The Carnival is on the bottom left, it’s showing well nourished people moving against the skinny and worn out people who have been fasting.
In Bruegel’s painting “The Dutch Proverbs” from 1559, also in the bottom right, two men are fighting and pulling on the same pretzel. If you want to know what parts of the painting stand for which proverb, go to here and hover over the picture. It’s truly fascinating.
Other Stories Around the Pretzel
There are other stories around the pretzel. Two origin stories are set later, the Late Middle Ages and the 19th century. But upon further reading, it turns out that these stories do not tell the story how the pretzel itself was invented (which we know must have happened before 1030 otherwise we wouldn’t see it in the arts), but how the Laugenbrezel was (accidentally) invented. The Bad Urach story however mixes the invention of the pretzel shape with the invention of the Laugenbrezel.
I said very briefly at the beginning what a Laugenbrezel is but let me explain a little more detailed because it is the Laugenbrezel that many of us mean when we say Brezel or soft pretzel.
Lauge is the German word for lye or caustic soda and that’s what the unbaked pretzel is dipped in right before it goes into the oven. The soda lye or sodium hydroxide solution reacts with the dough’s surface through the heat of the oven. This Maillard reaction is responsible for the typical brown color and the special taste of a Laugenbrezel.
The ideal Laugenbrezel has a crispy, salty crust and a soft yeast dough on the inside. The thickest part, the belly, bursted a bit (or opened like a mouth if it’s a Swabian one), while the arms are thinner and crispier but not dry. It can be eaten plain, with cheese or ham, or just butter. It is a common snack in Bavaria.
But back to where and how the Brezel was (supposedly) invented:
In 1477, a baker called Frieder from Bad Urach in Swabia was going to be hanged by the order of his territorial lord Count Eberhard. But the Count gave him a chance to redeem himself because he realized with the baker dead he wouldn’t be able to eat the delicious cakes anymore.
He said (in rhyming German): “Bake a cake, dear friend | through which the sun shines three times | then you won’t be hanged | your life shall be given to you.” A sign with the whole poem is displayed a Burg Hohenurach, Eberhard’s castle. I can’t show you the picture because of the copyright.
Frieder had three days. On the third day inspiration struck when he saw his wife with crossed arms. He shaped the dough into pretzel form but a cat accidentally bumped the baking sheet and the pretzels fell into a bucket of caustic soda solution. The baker baked the pretzels anyway, they were delicious and the Count showed mercy.
But if you ask any person in Altenriet they will tell you that the event actually took place in their town.
A similar story, though without the threat of being hanged, took place in Bavaria in 1839. Baker Anton Nepomuk Pfannenbrenner was preparing breakfast in the coffeehouse that delivered food to the court. Instead of coating the unbaked pretzels with sugar water, he accidentally grabbed the lye solution he normally used for cleaning. And voilá a Laugenbrezel was born.
The Bad Urach (or Altenriet) story is also connected to the Martinsbrezel which is sold in Swabia on St. Martin’s Day on November 11th. St. Martin was a Roman soldier who was known for his mercy and compassion. He cut his cloak in half to share it with a beggar he met on his way. Just like he so did Count Eberhard show mercy for the baker and let him live. The only problem is that Martinsbrezeln are made of a sweet yeast dough, often decorated with coarse sugar, and no lye in sight. (more about pretzel for specific occasions in Part 2)
Whatever story you believe, if any, is up to you. But maybe a baker just needed a pastry that could be stored well and carried around easily to sell. And with the holes the pretzel lends itself to be hung up or put on a stick. Maybe it was just born out of necessity.
While the beginnings of the Brezel might be unclear, it has been the emblem of bakers since the Middle Ages. When trade increased in the High Middle Ages in Europe, guilds started to form. There were guilds for almost every craft trade, from the shoemaker, the cooper, the wagon maker, to the glove maker and the tanner.
Every guild had their own rules regarding product quality, apprenticeship, prices, and number of trade masters within a city. They also had emblems or guild symbols (Zunftzeichen), and the pretzel was the baker’s and still is. Symbols for different trades can still be found in modern guilds or trade association logos, and on store signs.
(There seems to be a dispute about which way the pretzel should go, belly on the top or the bottom. Looking at the store signs or guild symbols doesn’t bring clarity.)
To use the pretzel as a guild symbol seems pretty obvious. They were and are popular and recognizable as a symbol. But then what do the lions have to do with the bakers’ guild? In some symbols you can even see swords, stuck through the pretzel holes.
So, let me tell you the story how pretzel baking monks saved Vienna from the Turks or Ottmans.
In some stories, the monks were baking pretzels in the basement at night during the siege of Vienna by the Ottomans in 1529 (I have also seen ‘in 1510’ but there was no siege). While there were baking they heard the Ottomans who were trying to dig tunnels under the city wall. They alerted the authorities and fought bravely alongside the soldiers. And as thanks the monks were given their own crest including the lions and swords for their brave fighting.
The problem I have with this story is the timeline. While the Ottomans did besiege Vienna in 1529 their strategy to dig tunnels is from the second siege of Vienna in 1683. This year is sometimes mentioned but 1529 is more often listed.
Others say that the crest or symbol of the bakers already featured the lions in 1111. The swords (and the imperial eagle) are said to have been added to the crest and flag because of the bravery the Munich bakers showed in the Battle of Mühlendorf in 1322. Sometimes the person who added the lions and a crown was Emperor Leopold (1657-1705). He rewarded the bakers that way who were a part of his army.
This concludes the first part of our twisty journey through the pretzel history. Follow me via email, on instagram or facebook to find out when the second part is being published. That part will include the history of the pretzel in the US and a look at the hard pretzel which was invented in Pennsylvania.
And in the third part you can find out which recipe I use to make soft pretzel that tastes like I think a Laugenbrezel should taste. Obviously, there are many recipes and there isn’t one ‘authentic’ or ‘real’ German pretzel.
A fourth part will talk about different kinds of sweet pretzels and pretzel celebrations (there are quite a few).
Sources
- Wiki - Pretzel
- Wiki - Brezel
- Brezel und Römer - dt
- Monastery and Pretzel
- Wo ist oben und unten? - dt
- Geschichte der Brezel - dt
- Chemical Secret of Pretzel
- First pretzel in pictures
- Wiki - sacrificial bread
- Bad Urach Legen
- Schwäbische Brezel Mythos
- History of the Pretzel
- Bäckerinnung - Brezel
- Brezel Legende Altenriet
- Bäckerwappen
- Die Gartenlaube - free ebook
- Pinterest pictures of pretzels
Citation for photos in gallery, top of blog post
- Bild von woidl auf Pixabay
- Bild von Reinhard Thrainer auf Pixabay
- Bild von Esther Merbt auf Pixabay
- Bild von Couleur auf Pixabay
- Von User:Melusina at lb.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15503299
- Von Anton Maienfeldt – Eigenes Werk, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89081433
- By I, NobbiP, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4467360
- By Frank Vincentz – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4576126
- Von Kereul – Eigenes WerkOriginaltext: selbst fotografiert, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49858488
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