Pretzel

A pretzel is a baked wheat snack twisted into a knot with a shiny, salted crust and a snappy crunch. Hard varieties are dry and crisp, sold as twists, sticks, rods, or nuggets; they crush cleanly for crumbs and hold up well as a crunchy topping or crust for fried foods and desserts. They’re commonly eaten plain, dipped, or folded into snack mixes and chocolate bark.

Pretzels trace to Central Europe, especially German-speaking regions, where an alkaline dip before baking created their distinctive brown crust; the style spread widely through bakeries and breweries. Hard, shelf-stable pretzels became popular in the United States, notably in Pennsylvania, and are now produced globally.