Tying the Knot: Philadelphia’s Love Affair with the Doughy Snack Food
“As kids, we used to buy pretzels in bulk and sell them. It gave many people a sense of entrepreneurship, as they sold them out on the street.”
By Chrysa Smith
If there’s one thing Philadelphians love as much as their cheesesteaks and sports teams, it’s the pretzel. Yep, that doughy, twisted treat that researchers say is the earliest popular snack item in US history. And for good reason.
Like many traditions, it got its start early on in Europe—likely before the Middle Ages. Photos have been found, demonstrating pretzels being baked using long poles. But for their embrace, Germans are credited with bringing them to this country centuries later. There is a religious significance. Back when fasting from meat and dairy left little food of interest to eat during the Christian season of Lent. A little flour, hot water, yeast, salt— (maybe butter, milk and even a touch of sugar added at later times), all twisted and tied up into a yummy, wedded bliss. Yes, even the shape is said to be symbolic of an entwined love. At the earliest celebrations, pretzels were used as part of wedding ceremonies for this very reason. And while not many of today’s Philadelphians will be serving pretzels while exchanging their vows (though you never know), they, along with their fellow Pennsylvanians, will consume more of the salty snack than any other state in the country.
While some of the details are sketchy, there are some agreed upon facts. In the US, pretzels did get their start in our state. The Sturgis name, from the Lititz area is synonymous with its founding here in PA. But perhaps of even more interest to us in the Philadelphia region is a man named Daniel Kleiss. He was one of the earliest recorded pretzel vendors in the city.
Sometime in the mid-1800s, the pretzel took off. Soft, hard, and packaged. And with the introduction of automated production in the 1930s, it was soon that thousands of pretzels were being produced and eaten every year. In fact, experts say that 80% of them are still produced here in the Keystone State. It’s no wonder that back in the early 2000’s, former Mayor Ed Rendell proclaimed April 26 th as National Pretzel Day.
No doubt, Daniel Kleiss gave rise to the street pretzel, which became the chewy snack that we all know and love today. Everyone has their favorite. Everyone has a story. And if there’s one guy who has an especially interesting, and local one, it’s Dan DiZio.
Dan is the founder of Philly Pretzel. The franchised chain with 170 locations had a slow and steady start. At 12 years old, Dan had the luck of being neighbors with Steve—the owner of a pretzel bakery. One day, when Steve found himself with an extra thousand pretzels he couldn’t use, he offered Dan an opportunity every kid would have loved---at least forty years ago. He was given pretzels to sell, and whatever he made, split the profits. Well, Steve sold $200 worth at a price of $1 for five pretzels—at $.20/each. Now that’s a lot of dough, both literally and figuratively. So, Dan, with an entrepreneurial spirit, enlisted the help of dozens of kids at his Bensalem school, and before long, had pretzel street vendors on most corners down the ‘boulevard,’ from Langhorne to Philly. The rest is a great story of a man who says Philly people eat pretzels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; something people from other areas just don’t get.
Celebrating a 25th anniversary this year, now franchisees up and down the east coast rise, along with their dough in the early hours of the morning to make their pretzels. Billions have been sold over the years, with a good bulk of the paperclip-shaped, attached treats to area schools and hospitals. But head into a shop, and you’ll find them baking all day long.
At Reading Terminal Market, you’ll find other delicious pretzel specimens. Miller’s Twist is well-known and loved for their buttery variety. Based on a traditional Amish recipe from Lancaster, the owner, Roger Miller, has worked in the market for over two decades. In 2008, he purchased the Central PA Fisher’s Pretzels, and gave it a new name and location. You’ll see workers rolling and twisting right before your eyes, as they turn out everything from your traditional, to flavors such as garlic and sour cream and onion. But if you’re really hungry, there are hot dogs, sausage, and cheddar cheese ‘roll ups’, breakfast sandwiches and traditional varieties such as ham or turkey. It’s grab-and-go at its tastiest.
Taking a big jump from paperclip pretzels is a big Bavarian specialty. You’ll find it in all its glory at German biergartens like Frankford Hall. With its communal seating, authentic German fare and about a dozen and a half German beers on tap, the Stephen Starr restaurant serves up both 5 and 10 oz. versions of the Bavarian twisted treat. Although they purchase their dough from a pretzel purveyor (yes, you read that correctly), they are baked in Frankford’s ovens for that crisp on-the-outside, soft in-the-middle goodness. According to Chef Bridgett Carlson, Bavarians are twisted from right to left, giving them a slightly different shape. “They have thicker middles and thinner arms,” she says. “They have a more defined shape and bake differently.” It is said that Bavarians enjoyed them for many years before they came across the pond, where they often ate them as side dishes. As a Philly native, Bridgett knows a thing or two about pretzels. In fact, she says there is just something about pretzels. “As kids, we used to buy them in bulk and sell them. It gave many people a sense of entrepreneurship, as they sold them out on the street.”
Right in Center City, you’ll find the elevation of the pretzel into more than a snack. At Rowhome Coffee, with locations on both Pine Street and North Front, the pretzel takes center stage as the base for their breakfast and lunch sandwiches. According to Co-owner, Eli Shaika, they didn’t really know what to expect, opening in the middle of a pandemic. And their thoughts about offering bagel sandwiches took a detour when they couldn’t source a pretzel they liked. Remembering back to time at Temple University, in the early morning before class, he, his wife, and his friend turned co-owner, would grab a pretzel. His wife had it with cream cheese, and they got to thinking, what about offering cream cheese on pretzels for breakfast? Well, what could be better? As customers professed their love for the sandwiches, the menu grew—soon to include their most popular offerings: bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything pretzel and of course, the breakfast cheesesteak pretzel. “If you want a bagel, you can go to Long Island,” Eli says, “I’m pro pretzel. It’s easier to eat and it’s iconic to Philly in so many ways.”
There are so many varieties these days, from the classic twist to the figure 8, sticks, nuggets and more. So, what about those hard, bagged pretzels that became popular during the age of industrialization? Well, they are a whole other animal—not to be mentioned here. Soft is the way to go. As Shaika said, “That’s Philadelphia to me.”
Chrysa Smith is a contributor who loves a good, buttery, highly caloric bite
Photo Credits: Philly Pretzel photos courtesy of Philly Pretzel. Frankford Hall pretzel photos credited to Cashman and Associates, on behalf of Frankford Hall.
