Pretzel Belt Explained

Pretzel Belt
Settlement Type:Cultural region of the United States
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Subregion
Subdivision Type2:Subregion
Subdivision Type4:Country
Subdivision Name4: United States
Subdivision Type5:States

The Pretzel Belt, or Pennsylvania Snack Belt, is a concentration of pretzel and snack food makers in the central southeastern region of Pennsylvania, roughly coterminous with Pennsylvania Dutch Country.[1] [2] [3] The first commercial pretzel manufacturer in the United States, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, was founded in the region in the borough of Lititz in 1861, and remains extant there today. By the beginning of the 20th century the pretzel had become a cultural institution in the region.[4] The rise of pretzels in the region is attributed in part to their popularity with Civil War soldiers who passed through the area.[5] In the twentieth century, the first automated pretzel machine was developed in Reading, Pennsylvania.[6] Manufacturers also include several pretzel and chip bakeries in Hanover, Pennsylvania, which holds the nickname "the snack capital of the world", as well as other examples like Hershey, Pennsylvania, home of the Hershey Chocolate Company and Asher's Chocolate Co., in Souderton, Pennsylvania.[7] [8]

Pennsylvania in general produces 80% of the pretzels consumed in the U.S.,[9] with many of the top producers located in York County alone.[10] Auntie Anne's, the international pretzel franchise, was founded in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.[11]

The term "Pretzel Belt" has also been used in a similar context to describe an area of the mid-Atlantic where pretzel consumption is higher than most U.S. states.[12] [13]

Pretzel companies founded in this region include Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, Herr's, Utz, Auntie Anne's, Snyder's of Hanover, Federal Pretzel Baking Company, Rold Gold, and Wise.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Pretzel Past and Present. Chicago Metro News. April 12, 1980. Chicago. 15. Lititz today is a town of 6,000 in the Pretzel Belt or 'Distilfink' [sic] section of the Quaker state..
  2. June 2008. The Pennsylvania Snack Belt. Anthony. Ted. Condé Nast. Gourmet.
  3. Web site: Penn State News. The Pennsylvania State University. Why do we love snack food?. Hottle. Heather. January 24, 2014. Companies from around the commonwealth — referred to as the snack food belt — supply many of the Sunday afternoon munchies enjoyed while calling plays from the couch..
  4. News: In Hands of Trust; Sorrow in Pretzel Belt Over Consolidation of Bakeries. September 24, 1916. 31. Boston. Boston Herald. In the pretzel belt of Pennsylvania that viand of the gods is not, as in the outlands, merely an associate of the beer glass, but in the place of its birth nourishes the baby, cheers by the pocketful beaux at the theatre and movies, accompanies every fan to the ball game and snoops down upon such gatherings as are witnessed at the Allentown fair by the trainload..
  5. Web site: Kovach . Emily . PA Food Icons: Pretzels . PA Eats . 27 April 2023.
  6. Web site: Dinerstein . Chuck . It's A Pretzel Party . American Council on Science and Health . 27 April 2023.
  7. News: Pretzel giants vie for snacking dough. August 14, 1994. Conn. David. The Baltimore Sun. Tiny Hanover itself and the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch towns are home to so many old-time 'pretzel benders' that the area is America's undisputed, if unofficial, pretzel belt..
  8. Web site: Atlas Obscura. Investigating Pennsylvania's Very Particular Penchant for Potato Chips. Nosowitz. Dan. October 24, 2017. The Pennsylvania Dutch territory, which spans the entire potato chip and pretzel-making belt, is famously insular; this is an area that makes stuff for the people who live there..
  9. Web site: As we mark National Pretzel Day, give thanks to Pennsylvania for its role in the knotted snack . 26 April 2016 .
  10. Web site: Pretzel Facts . October 2019 .
  11. Vella . Matt . This Is the Deeply Moving, Almost Unbelievable Story Behind Auntie Anne's Pretzels . 27 April 2023 . Time . 14 August 2014.
  12. Web site: The Pennsylvania Dutch, also known as the Amish, brought soft Bavarian pretzels to Pennsylvania in the 19th century – continuing a baking tradition established in Germany centuries earlier. The pretzel belt developed from there – encompassing the Mid-Atlantic States where most pretzel aficionados reside.. A New Orleans Twist on Pretzels. January 19, 2016. New Orleans & Me. Holmes. Meghan.
  13. News: Twisted. 1E, 4E. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wi.. April 24, 2003. The mid-Atlantic states are known as America's 'pretzel belt.' The per-capita annual consumption is four pounds—twice the national average.. Uebelherr. Jan.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pretzel Belt".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.