A fresh-cooked soft pretzel can take your taste buds places they never thought they'd go. And beyond.

History of the soft pretzel

The pretzel originated somewhere in Germany. There it spent many years as a brittle, not particularly tasteful side dish to beer. No one realized its full potential.

Then, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the "Pennsylvania Dutch"¹ moved to America, and settled mostly north and west of Philadelphia. They brought with them, among other pieces of culture, the pretzel.

Sometime in the ensuing hundred years or so, as they slowly adapted their culture to American life, the pretzel made an amazing switch - it changed from a hard cracker to a softer, gentler form of itself. Thus we have the soft pretzel.

Where to buy a soft pretzel.

In American cities, you can almost always find a pretzel vendor on a street corner with little trouble. But don't be mistaken - with few exceptions, they're not selling you a "soft" pretzel. They're selling you something hsrd, and several days old, and cold. You don't want it.

So who can you trust to supply you with soft pretzels? Outside of Amish country, it's often hard to find a reliable soft pretzel supplier. But there is now a company - Auntie Anne's - that sells top-quality, fresh, delicious pretzels. And they're all around the world: in 41 states, from Vermont to Hawaii. They're also in places you wouldn't expect, like Jakarta, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. Order the original.

How to eat your soft pretzel.

First things first - it's not a real soft pretzel without salt. Period.

Traditionally soft pretzels are eaten with mustard. In some regions, etchup is substitued for mustard. Both are acceptable.

If, however, you have already been through the pretzel experience, and find yourself lucky enough to come across an Auntie Anne's, you many want to consider another option. While the cinnamon sugar pretzel, is, due to lack of salt, not a real soft pretzel, it is a small taste of heaven. Enjoy!