Philly Pretzel--a brief history

The Foods of Philadelphia
by Mark Glicksman

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Most every city lays claim to at least one food as its own. Some are absolutely wonderful - San Francisco has its sourdough bread, Boston its chowder, Memphis its barbecue, and Chicago its fabulous hot dogs! Philadelphia surely possesses two of the best - the soft pretzel and The Italian sandwich, a category that includes both the hoagie and the cheese steak, among others. You can find representations of these foods elsewhere. But, only in Philadelphia and its environs can you find the real thing. You might get a soft pretzel at a mall in Cincinnati or a "Philly Cheese Steak" at a cafe in California and wonder "What's the big deal?" Come to Philadelphia, and you'll find out.

The Philadelphia Soft Pretzel

The origins of the Philadelphia soft pretzel can be traced back to a strong Germanic influence during the early history of Pennsylvania. During the 1700's, a large proportion of Pennsylvania's population spoke German - in fact German almost became the official language! The "Pennsylvania Dutch" (more correctly called Pennsylvania Germans) still speak an old German dialect. And, many places in southeastern Pennsylvania bear German names. Along with the language came a tradition of pretzel making. The true Philadelphia soft pretzel:

• is usually bought from a street vendor or small "mom and pop" shop - seldom from a chain store
• is fresh, soft, and chewy
• comes in a sort of slab in which a number of pretzels are stuck together
• is sprinkled with just the right amount of coarse salt

Here are a few tips for choosing a good pretzel:

• Never buy pretzels that are wrapped in plastic. They are almost guaranteed to be stale, soggy, or hard. The best packaging is a brown paper bag.
• If the pretzels look in the least bit moist, pass them up. Moisture is caused by the extraction of water by the salt. This indicates that the pretzel has been sitting around too long.
• Avoid pretzels that have been reheated by the vendor. They are usually hard.
• Look for a golden brown color and a "fresh" appearance. If the pretzel looks good, it probably is good.

Most Philadelphians enjoy their pretzels with a liberal coating of yellow mustard (Skip the Dijon please!), which is usually applied by the customer himself from a squeeze bottle. I like to scrape off most of the salt with my fingers before applying the mustard. There's enough salt residue left on the pretzel to make it taste salty without overdosing on sodium. Don't accept imitations. Believe me, the true Philadelphia pretzel is worth the search! It will make your taste buds very happy indeed. And, it will make you very happy because it's a true "comfort food".