pretzel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Munich pretzels
Swabian pretzel
Bakery nose shield

The pretzel is a savory or sweet pastry from German-speaking countries ( Germany , Austria , Switzerland , South Tyrol and Alsace ) in the form of a symmetrically intertwined dough strand. The name goes back to the Latin brachium ("the arm"; for the appearance of crossed arms). The pretzel is the most common type of bread . The pretzel has been used by the baker's guild as a guild symbol since the Middle Ages and is now also used as a symbol by the baker's guilds and bakeries. Historically, a distinction is made primarily between the Bavarian pretzel with almost identical thickness throughout and the Swabian pretzel with thick and thin areas. Pretzels are now available in many countries and have it as a sweet Pretzel made it into the kitchen.

Word variants

Many variations of the word pretzel are used:

  • in Austria, the pretzel and pretzel ;
  • the Bavarian pretzel or bairisch the pretzel [ 'bre: TSN];
  • in Württemberg Swabian Brezet ['brɛt͡sɘd] and Brezget [' brɛt͡sgɘd]
  • spoken with a short “E” in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate;
  • in northern Germany with the long first "E"

etymology

The pretzel is mainly associated with Upper Germany , and all dialect variants are documented as early as the Middle Ages; they “all go back in the end to derivatives of Latin brachium 'arm' (late Latin also brāc [c] hium […]): one of the many Latin loanwords of the blossoming Carolingian monastery culture. This is the name for an original "devotional pastry", which is why it is still particularly at home in Catholic areas of Upper Germany today [...] ”. The motif of the naming is the crossed ends, which have been compared with arms looped into one another.

Well on medium-Latin brachiolum (original meaning, little arms') should althochdeutsch brezzila , Middle High German pretzel , prezel , brêzile , prêzile , High German pretzel decline. An empty Middle Latin word * brachītum (original meaning: 'arm-shaped' or 'little arm'; or perhaps braciata ) seems to be the source for Old High German brezzita (also written brezita ), which lives on in Bavarian pretzede and Swabian brezet (both female sex). A Middle Latin * brachiatellu that is not directly occupied (provided that it is Tuscan-Italian bracciatello and other Romance forms such as Old Provençal brasadel , `` ring-shaped pastry '') provides the Old High German dialect variant brezitella or brezitel .

Old High German brezza is regarded as a late short form , which is only documented in glosses in manuscripts from the 12th century ( brezin in the 12th century, preczn̄ in the 14th century, forms of the nominative singular that exactly correspond to Bavarian Brezn ) and dialect in Baden, Württemberg, the Bavarian-speaking area and partly in Franconian continues to exist, but mostly as a subsidiary form of pretzel .

“In the late Middle Ages, these diverse word formations were combined in a short form brezza , which was only attested from the 12th century, but is still particularly popular today ; they can all be found in different handwritings next to one another at the glossary point 3,153,31ff .: brezita , brezta , brezin , brezitella , bretzinta (contamination?). As far as the change from the grammatical gender to the feminine feminine (next to the masculine ulinum) that is most common today, the predominant use of the neutral plural forms on -a in Lat this ending has also become a Fem [ininum] S [ingular]. "

- A. Lloyd, O. Springer : Etymological Dictionary of Old High German

Form and history

This illustration from the Hortus deliciarum (12th century) shows what is probably the oldest representation of a pretzel.

Local differences can be seen primarily in the shape. While at the Bavarian, Austrian or Baden pretzels the approach of the little arms further up, the little arms sit in the Swabian pretzels very deep, the upper arch, and abdominal or paragon called, very much further. In most of the Swabian and Baden regions, this belly is also provided with a cut that should lead to a clearly drawn outward shape when baking.

The pretzel is originally a Christian lent . The use of the pretzel during Lent was explained by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Ä. depicted in an allegorical picture ( The battle between carnival and fasting from 1559, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ). The full carnival season is shown on the left of the picture, while the lean fasting procession is drawing on the right. In various places you can find bright (unleached) pretzels during Lent.

However, there are hardly any completely reliable sources of the origin. Meyers Konversationslexikon from 1905 suspected the origin in a ban on pagan baked goods (for example in the form of a sun wheel) at the Synod of Estinnes (known as the “Council of Leptinä”) in 743. The pretzel was created as a replacement.

The presumable first graphic representation is in the Alsatian encyclopedia Hortus deliciarum around 1160.

A miniature pretzel in the shape of a Christmas tree, offered by Aldi in England in 2019

According to a well-known legend, the pretzel was invented by a baker from Bad Urach who had forfeited his life through a sacrilege against his sovereign, Count Eberhard (1445–1496). However, since the baker had done a good job beforehand, he should be given another chance. "Bake a cake, dear friend, through which the sun shines three times, then you will not be hanged, your life is given to you freely." The baker went to work and invented the pretzel. However, the current shape of the pretzel was already known in the late 12th century.

In the former Lower Alsace and today's Alsace in the municipality of Bouxwiller in the Musée judéo-alsacien de Bouxwiller, something similar has come down to us. The municipality of Altenriet also claims the invention of the pretzel for itself.

During excavations at the Donaumarkt in Regensburg , archaeologists found charred remains of a snack from the 18th century, including the oldest pretzel found.

Loops of form

Pretzel wrapping machine in operation

Bakers use a special throwing technique to loop pretzels. A strand of dough is rolled with both hands on a work surface and pulled outwards so that it tapers at the ends. Then the strand - held, lifted and moved only at the two ends - is laid in a bay ("U") and this is lifted with a swaying jerk so that its thickened center is twisted by 180 ° in flight until it is back on the Area arises. Then both ends are attached to the sides of the bay by pressing.

Special pretzel wrapping machines are also used in large companies. However, the one shown in the video leaves the bay on the surface and twists the ends of the strand, since it can twist its (robot) arms much more easily than humans.

Forms of entanglement

By twisting it through 360 °, the end coming from the right is attached to the right of the middle of the bay after being looped with the left one.

If the twist is only 180 °, the arms simply cross each other, like the arm pair of a person who places his right hand on his left shoulder (and the left hand opposite to the right). Both types of pretzels mentioned so far are chirally shaped at their twisting point, which can correspond to a left or right screw as a double helix.

The typically 3–5 cm small variant is cut from a molded strand. Pretzels punched, cut out or molded from a layer of dough also have a similar contour, but the arms are not entwined by twisting. These are usually right-left-side symmetry and do not become chiral even if there are rust marks below and more browning above.

variants

A wide variety of pretzels are baked depending on the regions, traditions and occasions. There are different types of garnish within the individual areas. Pretzels are popular as fresh goods or long-life baked goods. The sizes range from a few cm to just under half a meter.

Sweet variants

Swabian palm pretzels
Russian pretzel
Pancake pretzel - pretzel made from sweet yeast dough
Memorial burger pretzel baker
Puff pastry nut pretzel

The palm pretzel made from sweet yeast dough is baked in parts of Swabia on Palm Sunday .

The so-called Martinsbrezel, which is baked from sweet yeast dough on St. Martin's Day and often sprinkled with sugar-coated crystals, is also regionally widespread . As a rule, it is distributed to the visitors after joint St. Martin's parades at kindergartens or schools.

At the pastry chef you can also find sweet pretzels, for example the puff pastry nut pretzel, which is often twisted, or the “Russian pretzel”. In the greater Stuttgart area and large parts of Württemberg, these sweet pretzels - named after the Württemberg Queen Olga - are also known as "Olgabrezeln". In the Rhineland , sweet pretzels, where two of their loops are filled with vanilla pudding, are another popular variant. They are called "pudding pretzels" or "pudding particles". Christmas cookies are also made from shortcrust pastry in the form of small pretzels .

The New Year's pretzels known in Baden and Swabia are unlikely. They are usually made from a milk dough or sweet yeast dough and are supposed to promise good luck and well-being. They have a diameter of 30 cm to over a meter. They weigh up to 2.5 kg and are usually decorated with decorations such as a cable pattern and year numbers. There is a regional custom that the children pick up their New Year's pretzels (together with a savings egg) from their godparents . Similar New Year pretzels are also known in the central Rhineland. They replace breakfast bread and are often ordered in advance from the bakery according to the family size. They measure about 40 centimeters to a meter in width and are formed from a woven, soft wake dough, usually sprinkled with a little frosting or coarse sugar or slices of almonds, sometimes filled with marzipan.

In the Electoral Palatinate and the neighboring areas, a summer day procession is organized in spring , with children or young people with a decorated stick leading the summer day procession. An unleached pretzel made from sweet yeast dough, the so-called summer day pretzel, is placed on its tip.

Pretzels made from sweet yeast dough, which are fried in fat and then sugar-coated, are regionally widespread - hence a deep- fried or fat pastry in pretzel form, which is also known as carnival pretzel.

Schloss Burg an der Wupper near Solingen is known for the burger pretzels , whose consistency and taste are reminiscent of rusks . The local bakers keep a secret about the ingredients . It is popularly said that the burger pretzels are made from “Wupper water and clay”. They come in large forms too; these pretzels have a ribbon so that you can hang them around your neck. In Unterburg there is a memorial for the pretzel bakers who used to deliver their goods in baskets.

Salty variants

Pretzel

Salted pretzels
Biberacher fasting pretzels

The typical pretzel variant is the pretzel. A pretzel traditionally consists of wheat flour , malt , salt , baker's yeast and water . In some regions, fat, mostly lard , is also added. Variants are available made from wholemeal, spelled or mixed flours. To sprinkle the leached dough body before baking, the baker uses salt in various grains or caraway seeds or oil seeds such as sesame seeds . In contrast to other yeast doughs , the dough structure of pretzel doughs is usually very firm and cool due to the long processing time . The net dough yield is around 150.

Before baking, the pretzel is immersed in 3-5% sodium hydroxide solution ( E 524 ) ( pH 13-14) for a few seconds . During baking, the sodium hydroxide reacts with the dough on the surface of the pastry due to the action of heat. The hydrolysis of proteins in the dough accelerates and promotes the Maillard reaction (browning reaction). The pretzel obtained thereby for pretzels typical brown color and its particular taste.

The use of uncoated aluminum baking trays together with the caustic soda often leads to contamination; this problem also occurs with aluminum foil .

Ideally, the symmetrically intertwined dough strand of the pretzel has a crispy, leathery salt crust on the outside and a soft yeast dough body on the inside, is slightly cracked and juicy on the gently swollen belly, crispy but not dry in the thin dough arms. The usual size is about 15 cm in the diameter of the pastry, with a diameter of the dough strand of just under one to four centimeters.

In private households, caustic soda is often replaced by a less dangerous and easier to obtain soda solution, i.e. sodium carbonate solution (E 500). This can be made by boiling a solution of baking soda (NaHCO 3 in water), whereby CO 2 escapes:

Pretzels are often offered "topped". The Butterbrezel , a sliced ​​and buttered pretzel, is especially popular as a snack in southern Germany . In addition, there is, for example, toppings with different types of cheese, liver sausage, ham.

Especially at Oktoberfest time, when the Oktoberfest is celebrated in Munich , you will encounter much larger Oktoberfest pretzels . This pretzel is in the style of the Munich pretzels , which compared to their Swabian-Alemannic neighbors have a slightly lighter crust (light yellow to browned instead of reddish brown or dark brown) and a consistency that is more like fresh white bread or bread rolls. They are therefore suitable, for example, for soaking up gravy. The Bretzga typical of the Allgäu , on the other hand, has an interior that remains moist for a long time, which is most comparable to that of a similarly made pretzel roll .

Weidenberger anise pretzel

Anise pretzel

The anise pretzel is a typical Upper Franconian pastry, the dough of which is added plenty of anise . The arms of this rather light and soft pretzel are drawn from a thicker, almost even strand. Aniseed pretzels are traditionally only available all year round or, in some regions, to a limited extent, from November 30th to Ash Wednesday (or Maundy Thursday ).

Fasting pretzels

In Biberach an der Riß , white pretzels are produced during Lent . They are briefly boiled in hot water before baking and only salted after baking. In some parts of Bavaria, especially Lower Bavaria, these are similar to non-leached pretzels that are available all year round and sprinkled with salt and caraway seeds. In southern Upper Bavaria these pretzels are hung on the palm trees . A slight variation can be found in Upper Franconia around Bamberg : the pretzels are made from white bread roll dough and are normally baked in the oven. Then the top is brushed with water and dipped in salt. In the bakeries there, this type is called pretzel (whereas in many parts of Germany pretzel is a pretzel).

Party pretzel

Another popular variant is the party pretzel . This is a large pretzel (diameter of up to 50 cm or more) that is topped like a bread roll. When ordering, you can usually specify the number of people for whom the pretzel is intended. The scope will then be adjusted accordingly. The largest pretzels are intended for around 30 people.

Pretzels

In the US, Pretzels (similar to above all as pretzels pretzel sticks known) from the bag. There they are available with fillings and toppings in sweet and savory variations such as cheese and chocolate. The two market leaders are "Rold Gold" and Snyder's of Hanover . In Philadelphia, on the other hand, they are baked soft and fresh and served with mustard.

Protected geographical name

Since March 13, 2014, the names "Bayerische Breze" as well as "Bayerische Brezn", "Bayerische Brez'n" and "Bayerische Brezel" have been registered as protected geographical indications under European law. They may only be used for products that were manufactured in Bavaria and correspond to the registered specification; Frozen dough pieces also fall under the protection of names. According to the specification, they are shiny, copper-brown pretzels made from yeast dough that can be sprinkled with salt, poppy seeds , sesame seeds , pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or cheese . In contrast to the Swabian pretzel, the arch is not incised, but has a wild shape, the arms are thicker and set higher on the arch. The specification uses the term “pretzel” (but “Swabian pretzel”) throughout; The spelling with an apostrophe is said to have been protected at the instigation of the Federal Ministry of Justice for trademark law considerations.

Events / Heraldry

Craftsman's fountain on Königsplatz in Speyer with a statue of a pretzel boy

One of the largest folk festivals on the Upper Rhine is the six-day Speyer pretzel festival on the second weekend in July, which is all about pretzels. The pretzel festival takes place annually in the Bretzenheim district of Mainz and the pretzel queen is chosen. The pretzel is represented in the local coat of arms, as is the case in Bretzenheim an der Nahe, Nieder-Ramstadt or Altenriet - for more see pretzels (heraldry) .

From 1318 to 1801 once rode in the pretzels riders through Munich , the pretzels distributed and funded from a family foundation donation at the Holy Spirit Hospital of about 3,000 pretzels announced for the city's poor. From 2005 this was revived by a private initiative as part of the tradition of cultivation. Every year the pretzel market takes place in Altenriet after Palm Sunday .

At the Kringelhöge , the festival of the Stecknitz drivers in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck , children have been given pretzels since the Middle Ages. It was not until 1948 that Osnabrück (Lower Saxony) had a custom of giving sweet pretzels to children while riding a hobby horse to commemorate the Peace of Westphalia of 1648.

A specialty in the Upper Franconian market town of Weidenberg are the pretzel weeks : Anise pretzels are served during the carnival season.

A folk festival in honor of the pretzel has been held in Bottrop-Kirchhellen about every three years since 1883 . Who it discards a giant pretzel with a wooden stick from a pole, is new Brezelkönig the so-called pretzel brothers .

Derived terms and symbols

Sign of the baker's guild as a nose shield

The pretzel is a traditional symbol of the bakery trade . Images of pretzels can be found in the coats of arms of bakers' guilds, on the shop signs of bakery shops and in the company logos of many bakers and baked goods manufacturers (such as the large bakeries Kamps and Ditsch ), and also, for example, in the logo of the Central Association of German Bakers and the Danish Association of Bakers and Confectioners .

Because of its high symbolic value and its popularity, pretzels are often used to name a wide variety of things. So there are probably not only in Munich ( Brezn ) and Neustadt an der Weinstrasse ( Brezel ) inns of the same name. Peace pretzels in the form of the peace symbol were baked and sold for a UNICEF charity event in Munich in 2004 . The pretzel was also named after an inflatable rainforest research station in the form of an intertwined worm with a net as a platform on the treetops because of its similar shape: the station is called SolVin-Bretzel . The Bremen Center for Literature Documentation in German Studies in the Department of Linguistics and Literature Studies at the University of Bremen is also called BreZeL for short . For VW Beetles of the first series, the term “ pretzel beetle ” has become common due to the vertically divided rear window .

In Bavaria, the designation is Brezn many places synonymous for leached pastry used, so pretzel-Stangerl , pretzel-Semmerl , pretzel braid for leached biscuits in the respective form.

In old Bavaria and Austria, a pretzel that you “tear” is at least a moderate fall or accident that makes you crumble . This verb therefore means “to fall, to have an accident, to be destroyed” (ea hod á [gscheide] Brezn grißn; watch out, otherwise dabrezlt's di!), Because someone who has fallen is twisted like a pretzel on the ground. A colloquial meaning from the Bavarian language area is: Giving someone a pretzel for "attacking someone verbally or physically". The verb aufbrezeln means “to put on well, to put on makeup, to dress up”. Or you can also “have a pretzel” or in Swabia “A Brezg em Gsicht” (“have a pretzel in your face”), which means as much as being drunk or tipsy.

In Bavarian , Breznsoizer (Brezensalzer) describes a person who carries out subordinate activities. The term probably comes from the colloquial language of bakers , who gladly left the salting of the pretzels to the apprentices . Most of the time, the expression “I'm ned Eahna Breznsoizer!” Is used to make it clear to someone that you don't allow yourself to be ordered around by him. Occasionally this also means a mere swear word.

Pretzels in other countries

Viipurinrinkeli from Vyborg (Finnish: Viipuri)
“Brezeladam” monument in Kaiserslautern
Modern pretzel stand in Zurich's Stadelhofen train station

As a German cultural import, the pretzel as a pretzel is also popular in the United States , but there it is usually made as a soft cake and with a significantly higher proportion of sugar than in Germany and is often coated with mustard or dipped in cream cheese when consumed. The first manufacturer was Julius Sturgis ( Lititz , Pennsylvania, 1861). Auntie Anne's, founded in Lancaster in 1988, is a fast food chain that specializes in the production of pretzels and has hundreds of offices across the United States .

In the former Finnish city of Vyborg (Finnish: Viipuri , which is located in Russia ) there is a pretzel variant called Viipurinrinkeli .

various

  • In 2019 on September 21st at the start of the Munich Oktoberfest , the search engine Google dedicated a video doodle to the pretzel .
  • A pretzel museum was opened in Erdmannhausen in 2016 .
  • The world's largest pretzel was created on October 25, 2015 by the Industrias La Constancia brewery at the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Convenciones (CIFCO) in San Salvador . The pretzel was baked on assembled planchas (grill plates ), weighed 783.81 kg, was 8.93 m long and 4.06 m wide.
  • The monument to the pretzel seller "Brezeladam", a well-known and popular city ​​original , has stood in the Kaiserslautern city ​​center since 1977 . Adam Schmadel (1892–1969) sold pretzels from a wicker basket for 50 years until the mid-1960s. The Kaiserslautern sculptor Werner Bernd created a bronze sculpture in his memory, which is located on his former sales point at the intersection of Eisenbahnstrasse and Marktstrasse (pedestrian zone).
  • Since 1976, on the initiative of the Institut des arts et traditions populaires d'Alsace ( IATPA ) founded by Germain Muller , the Golden Pretzel ( Le Bretzel d'or ) has been awarded to individuals or associations. The aim of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to the promotion and representation of Alsatian folk art and traditions.

literature

Web links

Commons : Pretzel  - Collection of Images
Wiktionary: Brezel  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Who invented the pretzel? In: Museum der Brotkultur , accessed on March 26, 2019, (PDF; 230 kB): “Thanks to its unusual shape, the pretzel quickly became a symbol of bakers. You can find them on their official guild seals as early as 1300. This has remained so to this day. "
  2. ↑ Geographical distribution of the names: Bre (t) z- In: Atlas for the German everyday language ( AdA ) of the University of Augsburg.
  3. ↑ a b brezzila. In: Albert Larry Lloyd, Rosemarie Lühr , Otto Springer: Etymological Dictionary of Old High German . tape 2 (bî - ezzo). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen / Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-525-20768-9 , pp. 330 f .
  4. ↑ a b pretzel. In: Friedrich Kluge , Elmar Seebold : Etymological dictionary of the German language . 23rd edition. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1995, p. 137 .
  5. ↑ Pretzel Lexicon. In: Tagesspiegel , June 29, 2007.
  6. ↑ Pretzel. In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon . Volume 3, Leipzig 1905, p. 408; online text at zeno.org .
  7. ↑ L'histoire de la Bretzel selon l'Hortus Deliciarum. Probably the first pretzel display in the Alsatian Hortus deliciarum .
  8. ↑ Altenriet and the pretzel. In: brezelmarkt.de , accessed on March 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Excavation in Regensburg. The oldest pretzel in the world. In: faz.net , March 11, 2015.
  10. ↑ Video: Manufacture of Swabian pretzels by hand. In: backstube-mack.de , 0:48 min., Accessed on March 26, 2019.
  11. ↑ Patent application for a pretzel wrapping machine at WIPO
  12. ↑ Karin Eberhardt: Dispute about pretzel twists. In: Allgemeine BäckerZeitung online, December 14, 2006, print edition 2006, No. 50; Patent dispute over pretzel wrapping machines.
  13. ^ Hannelore Schäfer: Edingen. Brezelbub marches ahead of the summer train. In: Mannheimer Morgen , April 8, 2019, image 1.
  14. ↑ Kerstin Schöberl: Heavy Metals and Toxic Trace Elements - Balance 2013. In: Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Karlsruhe ( CVUA ), May 27, 2014.
  15. ↑ Uta Hengelhaupt, Gunter Wagner: Anise pretzels. In: genussregion-oberfranken.de , accessed on March 26, 2019.
  16. ↑ Entry on Bavarian pretzels etc. in the Database of Origin and Registration (DOOR) of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission .
  17. ↑ Javier Cáceres: Bavarian specialty: Brussels protects the pretzels. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , February 21, 2014.
  18. ↑ Welcome to the pretzel town of Altenriet! In: altenriet.de , Brezelmarkt , accessed on March 26, 2019.
  19. ↑ Anise pretzels
  20. ↑ Jens Minor: A baked Google doodle for the start of the Oktoberfest and in honor of the pretzels. In: GoogleWatchBlog. September 20, 2019, accessed on September 20, 2019 (German).
  21. ↑ Pretzel Museum in Erdmannhausen - brezelmuseum.de
  22. ↑ Oktoberfest: 10 Bavarian records that you can toast to: 5. The biggest pretzel. In: Guinness World Records , September 19, 2017, accessed September 28, 2019.
  23. ^ Gerhard Westenburger: Kaiserslautern. Do you know Lautern? The “Brezel Adam” and the “Schachtelmännchen”. ( Memento from September 28, 2019 in the web archive archive.today ). In: Die Rheinpfalz , September 21, 2019.
  24. ↑ List of art objects: Art in the cityscape. In: Stadt Kaiserslautern , 2005, p. 22, (PDF; 156 p., 4.9 MB), accessed on September 28, 2019.
  25. ^ List of the winners: Le Bretzel d'or. In: Institut des arts et traditions populaires d'Alsace ( IATPA ), accessed on April 18, 2019.
  26. ^ Institut des Arts et Traditions Populaires d'Alsace. In: Office for Language and Culture in Alsace ( Alsatian Sprochàmt ) ( OLCA - Office pour la Langue et les Cultures d'Alsace et de Moselle ), accessed on April 18, 2019.