Pretzel

A pretzel (listen(help·info)), from dialectal German pronunciation, standard German: Breze(l) (listen(help·info) and French / Alsatian: Bretzel) is a type of baked pastry made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot  . The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical form, with the ends of a long strip of dough intertwined and then twisted back onto itself in a particular way (a pretzel loop or pretzel bow). Today, pretzels come in a wide range of shapes.

Salt is the most common seasoning for pretzels, complementing the washing soda or lye treatment that gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor acquired through the Maillard reaction. Other seasonings are mustard, cheeses, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon, sweet glazing, seeds, and nuts. Varieties of pretzels include soft pretzels, which should be eaten shortly after preparation, and hard-baked pretzels, which have a long shelf life.^[1]

There are numerous unreliable accounts regarding the origin of pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most assume that they have Christian backgrounds and were invented by European monks.^[2] According to legend, as cited by several sources, including The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, in 610 AD "... [a]n Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ('little reward[s]')".^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Another source locates the invention in a monastery in southern France.^[2][8][9] In Germany, there are stories that pretzels were the invention of desperate bakers held hostage by local dignitaries.^[10] Food historian William Woys Weaver (only) traces the origin of the pretzel to Celtic harvest knots and the worship of the Celtic goddess Sirona;^[11][12] however this association does not appear in any of the other rare mentions of this goddess.

The German name "Brezel" may derive also from Latin bracellus (a medieval term for 'bracelet'),^[13] or bracchiola ('little arms').

The pretzel has been in use as an emblem of bakers and formerly their guilds in southern German areas since at least the 12th century.^[10] A 12th century illustration in the Hortus deliciarum from the Alsace region (today France) may contain the earliest depiction of a pretzel.

Within the Christian Church, pretzels were regarded as having religious significance for both ingredients and shape. Pretzels made with a simple recipe using only flour and water could be eaten during Lent^[14] when Christians were forbidden to eat eggs, lard, or dairy products such as milk and butter. As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. Pretzels were hidden on Easter morning just as eggs are hidden today,^{[citation needed]} and are particularly associated with Lent, fasting and prayers before Easter.^[15]