Pretiola

Who doesn’t like pretzels? Whether soft or crunchy, large or small, smothered in mustard or chocolate, pretzels are rich in history and important to cultures around the world.

According to legend, the pretzel was invented in the 7th century AD by an Italian monk. He created a small knot of bread in the shape of praying arms to reward children for learning their prayers. He called his creation “pretiola,” which means “little rewards.”

As pretzels spread throughout Europe they kept a religious connotation. Pretzels contain no eggs or dairy which, since these things were forbidden during Lent in the Middle Ages, made them a perfect food for the Holy season. In some countries, Germany for example, large pretzels were hidden along with dyed eggs on Easter for children to find.

Pretzels were extremely successful in Germanic cultures, becoming a staple of any complete meal. Germanic immigrants came to the United States and many of them settled in Pennslyvania. The Pennsylvania Dutch introduced the soft pretzel to the States and it became a popular street food in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York because it was cheap and perfectly portable. It was also in Pennsylvania where the first hard pretzel was baked. Usually smaller and in a variety of shapes, including rings, sticks, and rods, hard pretzels quickly became the most popular and highly consumed pretzel for the American palette.

Pretzels are nothing new to Garrett’s Table. We’ve made Mustard Stuffed Pretzel Nuggets (aka Gourmet Combos) and even Pretzel Shaped Mustard Chips. This time around we’re not making pretzels but rather using pretzels as an ingredient to make a fantastic dessert. What’s the other major ingredient? Think about what beverage pairs exceedingly well with pretzels and keep reading Garrett’s Table in the coming days to find out!

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