SC - Period pretzels- Better late than never...

[Stefan li Rous]

Margritte mentioned
> Look for "Hours of Catherine of Cleves", with an introduction and
> commentaries by John Plummer. This little book is a gem. The illuminations
> are gorgeous! The borders around several of the main figures are somewhat
> unusual-- such as the border for Saint Bartholomew Apostle-- which is
> composed of pretzels and biscuits. There's no way to tell what size the

While I was on my vacation in eastern Pennsylvania near Lancaster, I toured
the Sturgis Pretzel House in Lititz. They claim to be the first pretzel
factory in North America. They say their founder started producing pretzels
in 1850 from a recipe given him by a visitor. In their spiel on the history 
of pretzels they claimed they had records of pretzel production going back 
to 610 AD. I think they said they were produced by monks. Unfortunately, I 
couldn't get any written info from them. But they claimed they had found it 
in the Vatican library.

The tour guide said they dip the dough in a baking soda solution. When I 
questioned how old this might be because what I had heard about the newness 
of baking soda, she said that other compounds such as lye and several others
that I have since forgotten could also be used.

Sometime when I find the time, I will write them and see if they will
share some of the info they have found out on pretzel history. Their
address for anyone who might be in their area is:

Sturgis Pretzel House
219 E. Main St.
Lititz, PA 17543

For $1.50 you get a tour which includes a pretzel making demonstation
and the chance to twist your own pretzel. They are still using the
original ovens although they have converted them to gas.

Soft pretzels are what you originally get out of the oven. Within a
few hours if you don't do anything they get hard. To make their hard
pretzels they spread them on tables (floor?) on the next story above
their ovens to dry.

She also said their pretzels recipe originally came from Italy or
France, not Germany and that unlike in Germany the pretzels were
originally coated in sugar not salt.
- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:
          http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/rialto.html ****
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