photo credit Depositphotos
Important news: April 26th is National Pretzel Day!
I’m assuming soft pretzels aren’t a regional thing, since they originated in Europe (although whether in Italy, France or Germany seems to be a matter of some debate). But I’m also going to guess we take our pretzels a little more seriously around here than they do in the rest of the country: every event involves street vendors with warm soft pretzels, and everybody has definite opinions about what qualities a perfect pretzel has (I like them on the softer side, not too much salt, with just a smidge of mustard).
We eat them for breakfast, with lunch, on the go. They sell them all day long at Wawa. They’re great for keeping a kid happy until you can get them home for a real meal. And unlike so many of life’s great culinary masterpieces, they’re really cheap.
(After conducting a search for a stock photo of soft pretzels, I’ve come to the conclusion that our area vendors may be unique when it comes to the shape of our pretzels. I couldn’t locate a single image of the more rectangular ones you get, say, after a 5k or a Phillies game.)
So, anyway, if you needed an excuse to sink your teeth into a pretzel today, there you go. It’s National Pretzel Day and I’m pretty sure partaking is your civic duty (along with voting. Did you vote today yet?).
As a bonus, participating Philly Pretzel factory stores are handing out one free pretzel per customer. And the first 100 customers get a free pretzel every day in May. Find your nearest Philly Pretzel Factory here.
If you’re the DIY type, we’ve used this Alton Brown pretzel recipe in the past and wound up with perfect pretzels.
