In Part 1 of The Twisted History of the Pretzel, I focused on the origin of the pretzel in Europe and the many stories that go with it.
In this second part I’m going to talk about the pretzel in the United States. But first off, I’d like to clarify the words pretzel and Brezel.
The Difference between a Pretzel and a Brezel
Brezel is the German word for pretzel, however the words do not have exactly the same meaning. In Germany, anything that has the typical shape of a pretzel is a Brezel. This means that even licorice that has the pretzel form is a Brezel.
When we say pretzel in English, we either refer to the soft pretzel that is treated with lye before baking, or we mean the hard pretzel that can also come in different forms like pretzel sticks.
The American soft pretzel is called Laugenbrezel in German (Lauge means lye). You can get differently shaped pastry that tastes like a soft pretzel or Laugenbrezel but it will be called Laugengebäck (lye pastry, general term), Laugenstange (lye stick), or Laugenbrötchen (lye roll).
The hard pretzel in the US is also called Brezel in Germany (if it has the pretzel shape), or more generally Salzgebäck (salt pastry). Salzgebäck emcompasses all kinds of hard baked pretzel like Salzstangen (pretzel sticks).
The (soft) Pretzel in America
Now, let’s get started on the history of the soft pretzel (Laugenbrezel) in the US.
You can probably guess how the pretzel made it to America: German and Swiss immigrants. In the late 18th century, many Germans and Swiss settled in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania who became the Pennsylvania Dutch. (Dutch is a corruption of the word Deutsch which means German.) They not only brought their traditions and language with them but also their food, and one of the staples in their diet was the pretzel.
Philadelphia
If the pretzel got its start in America in Pennsylvania, it is not surprising that 80% of all American pretzels are still being produced in Pennsylvania, and that Philadelphia is one of the cities known for its pretzels.
A pretzel from Philly is a little different in shape as it looks more like an 8. (see photos) The Philadelphia pretzel is normally seasoned with salt. Though, you can also get a “baldie”, a pretzel without salt.
While Laugenbrezel in Germany are seldomly eaten with mustard but rather with butter, or cheese, or ham, the Philadelphia pretzel normally comes with mustard. Since street vendors sold hot dogs and pretzels alike and mustard was available for the hot dogs, the connection between pretzel and mustard was probably established that way.
The pretzel is a popular snack and street food and people in Philadelphia eat about 12 times as many pretzels as the average American.
The importance and prevalence of the pretzel (in Pennsylvania) was recognized by former governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell when he declared April 26th as “National Pretzel Day” though US Representative Robert Walker of Lancaster had proclaimed the Day of the Pretzel already in 1983.
Freeport, the Pretzel City
While South Eastern Pennsylvania might be the birthplace of the American pretzel production, Freeport, Ill. is the “Pretzel City”. In the 19th century, German immigrants from Europe and Pennsylvania came to the area, and you guessed it, one of them opened a bakery selling pretzels.
John Billerbeck founded the Billerbeck Bakery in 1869 and flooded the market with pretzels. Freeport embraced this and dubbed itself “Pretzel City”. Since Freeport also had many breweries, the success of the pretzels, especially as a side dish to beer, is not surprising.
The pretzel took a hit during World War I because of anti-German sentiments and during the prohibition. But by that time Freeport was already the Pretzel City, the high school athletes are known as The Pretzels and football is played on the Pretzel Field.
The town though didn’t start marketing itself as the Pretzel City until 1998. It established a Pretzel Festival in 2003, with pretzel prince and princess, a pretzel recipe competition, the character Pretzel Bill, and since 2007 a live pretzel baking by Bryan Thomas who is the pretzelmaker of the town. Before he arrived on the scene, Freeport had to export pretzels from Wisconsin.
The Hard Pretzel
Julius Sturgis established the first commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz, Penn., in 1861. He is also credited with the invention of the hard pretzel. These pretzels, in different shapes and sizes, hold up longer than the soft pretzels that should be consumed the same day they are baked. They are easily shipped and stored and can therefore reach consumers further away.
Just like in Freeport, other cities were also serving the hard pretzels with beer, especially in the time after the Civil War when taverns and saloons were on the rise. Many breweries were established and run by German immigrants, so the connection with the pretzel was a given. But it was also good business to serve a snack with the drink; not only would the customer stay longer but the salty pretzels made patrons thirsty and they’d drink more.
With the prohibition starting in 1919 and causing the taverns to close, the pretzel lost some of its consumers. However people still needed a snack to go with their homebrew and bakeries were able sell pretzels not to taverns but to individuals.
Over time, pretzels were no longer associated with beer and became a stand alone snack. In 1949, the “pretzel bender” was invented that could bend dough into pretzel shape faster than a person. But not all pretzels were baked in the typical pretzel shape but also as sticks. Those were easier and faster to make.
Pretzels today
The pretzel didn’t spread across the US until the 1960s but once it got started there was no stopping it. The Philly Pretzel Factory, for example, doesn’t only operate in Philadelphia but also has stores in Florida and Arizona.
Today you can buy soft and the hard pretzel everywhere: in malls, at sports games, at bakeries, at the supermarket, on the street.
The hard pretzel is a favorite snack, easy to store and carry, and it doesn’t go bad. Those pretzels come in many different shapes: sticks, rods, bits, twists, or trees and stars for Christmas. You can coat them in yogurt or chocolate, find them as ice cream topping, or as an ice cream cone.
And there even is something called a pretzel salad which is made with crushed pretzels as a crust, cream cheese and strawberry jello. Since there are many recipes for this “salad” we can assume there are people out there who eat and like it.
If you are looking to make your own soft pretzel you can find many recipes online. I have tried the baking mix by Kathi, one recipe that dips the unbaked pretzel in baking soda water, and one recipe with actual lye. You can read about it here. Only so much now, my husband and I both prefer the pretzel that is dipped in lye solution. But there are many different recipes, not just in the US but also in Germany, and there is no “real, authentic” soft pretzel. There is only the one that tastes exactly how you want it to taste.
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