PRETZEL
Wild Word Friday!
I’ve always considered potato chips and popcorn to be the quintessential snack food of the ages. A bit of research turns up the fact that although popcorn has been around for a while, thanks to the Native peoples of North and South America, PRETZELs are a much older snack food than potato chips ever thought to be. A 16th century painting, The Fight Between Carnival and Lent by Flemish artist Pieter Brueghel the Elder, includes a PRETZEL. That dates the PRETZEL back more than 400 years!
The word PRETZEL is from the Old High German brezitella, to the Medieval Latin word brachiatellum, which refers to having armlike branches. Most sources assume that the PRETZEL is so named because it’s shaped like folded arms, but a connection to another Latin word – brachium – means armlet or bracelet. So take your choice, folded arms or a bracelet, either way, they’re delicious!
Q4U: What’s your favorite snack food? Any PRETZEL lovers out there?