History of the Philly Pretzel

Philly + Pretzels = A Love Story.
How much do we love them? Well, Philadelphians eat 12x more pretzels than the average American and PA bakes 80% of the nation’s supply. Yep, we’re the pretzel capital of the USA and it wasn’t by accident. Here's a little history of the pretzel:

The Origins: Pretzels + Faith

Way back in the day, pretzels were born out of Lent, when Catholics avoided dairy, meat and fats. Flour, water and salt? Perfect loophole. Monks are believed to have handed them out as rewards to students (the Latin “bracelle” = little arms). By the Middle Ages, they fed the poor, carried deep spiritual symbolism and even got tied to marriage ceremonies - that's where we get “tying the knot”. Pretzels weren’t just food, they were culture.

Pretzels Hit Philly

Fast-forward to the 1800s. Philly + beer culture = a perfect match. German immigrants ran the beer scene and saloons realized salty pretzels made customers drink more. Some spots even offered a “free lunch” of pretzels, pickles and cheese. The Temperance movement hated it, but Philly wasn’t giving them up.

By the 1820s, there were pretzel street vendors like Daniel Christopher Kleiss selling them around town. By 1861, Julius Sturgis opened America’s first pretzel factory in Lancaster. Pretzels were suddenly big business - twisting dough was one of the highest-paid jobs in Philly at the time.

From Hand-Twisted to Mass-Produced

In 1947, the Reading Pretzel Machine changed the game - 250 twists per minute! Hard pretzels took off nationwide because they could last in bags and tins, but Philly never gave up on the soft, chewy OG. 

Pretzel Fun Facts

• Pretzels literally went to space (NASA packed Philly Soft Pretzels on the Columbia in 1996).
  

• The biggest pretzel ever? Philadelphian Joe Nacchio made one that was 5 feet wide and 20 pounds. Guinness says El Salvador beat us with a 1,700+ pounder in 2015, but we’ll let them have it. Maybe.

• Philly even had a Pretzel Museum in the ’90s where visitors could try twisting dough themselves (RIP, gone but not forgotten).

National Pretzel Day

Governor Ed Rendell made it official in 2003 ... April 26th is National Pretzel Day.

Bottom line? Pretzels aren’t just a snack in Philly. They’re a tradition, a livelihood, a little piece of history in every chewy bite.