Tanya's Daily Scoop | Elisa's Daily Scoop Pretzels in PennsylvaniaHello folks. Hey there to all our loyal subscribers and followers and to all of the stalkers - Happy to have you here today!  Well, today is National Pretzel Day! National Pretzel Day celebrates pretzels of all shapes and sizes. According to Holiday Insights website: "Pretzels are believed to be the world's oldest snack. Pretzels date back to 610AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child's arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! ...the pretzel industry was born." Tanya and I have both have our share of "pretzel experiences" during our travels. In the Fall of 2015, Pretzels were the focus of one of our day excursions during my trip with Gianna to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  At the Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, Lititz, PA In the charming town of Lititz, PA, there is quite a bit of pretzel history. In fact, it is at the Sturges Pretzel Factory, where the first "hard pretzel" was developed! The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is America’s first commercial pretzel bakery, founded in 1861. It is still a working factory, making soft pretzels and offers a wonderful tour bringing the history of pretzel making to life, which includes the experience of rolling your own pretzel! Hard pretzels were invented by founder, Julius' grandson Tom Sturgis, when he decided to taste the "burnt pieces" and realized they tasted yummy! These are made at a different facility in Reading, PA.  (c)travelincousins.com  Rolling pretzels at The Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (c)travelincousins.com The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery building at 219 East Main Street was built in 1784 by Peter Kreiter and the house is one of the original structures in Lititz. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. CLICK HERE to read more about my day at the Sturgis Pretzel Bakery!! 16 Delicious Facts About Pretzels 1. A pretzel is a type of baked bread product made from dough most commonly shaped into a twisted knot. 2. It is believed that they were probably invented by Christian monks sometime around 610 A.D. 3. Italian monks used pretzels as a reward to get children to learn their prayers shaping strips of baked dough to resemble arms crossing the chest and gave them out as treats. 4. The Italian monks called pretzels "pretiola," or "little rewards." 5. Pretzels became associated with Lent because they didn't use eggs or dairy products, which were traditionally prohibited during the period of fasting and restriction. 6. Auntie Anne's makes more than 500,000 pretzels every two days, which is enough to feed the entire population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 7. National Pretzel Day came into existence in 2003, when Pennsylvania Governor, Ed Rendell declared April 26th National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of pretzels to the state's economy and history. 8. The average U.S. citizen consumes up to two pounds of pretzels per year. 9. Philadelphians snack on about 12 pounds of pretzels per person every year. 10. When pretiola arrived in Germany, they were called bretzels. 11. The birthplace of the American pretzel is Lititz, Pennsylvania which came from Germany along with the Pennsylvania Dutch. 12. The primary ingredients in pretzel dough include flour, water, yeast, shortening, and sugar. 13. Flour is perhaps the most important ingredient in pretzel making. It is primarily made up of starch and protein and when water is added, the flour protein soaks up the water rapidly and reacts with it to form a mass known as gluten. The gluten can be stretched and formed quite a distance with-out breaking, thereby allowing pretzels to be formed into the desired shapes. 14. There is less water in pretzel dough than in bread dough, it still makes up about 30-35% of the recipe. 15. Reading, Pennsylvania is the pretzel capital of the world. 16. More than $550 million worth of pretzels are sold in the United States annually; 80 percent are made in Pennsylvania. So, to celebrate - let's all eat pretzels today!! My Kelsey LOVES soft pretzels so I think we are going to enjoy some later! Enjoy your day!! -E xoxo  |
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