Ah the pretzel. I am a strong German piece of “bread” in the eyes of some, yet I am so much more. To many of you in North America I come in the form of a bag of chips, dried out and crunchy — something that is offered on plane rides.
To me the pretzel is the German staple to beer. This seemingly simple food is one of my favorite foods and something that I have tried to locate many a time in Canada.
This accidental food, created from dropping dough into chemicals can be found throughout Germany, offered plain, with butter or cheese or maybe with seeds on it. It is the perfect snack to carry around or perfect outer layer of a simple sandwich.
Last year I ended up at Oktoberfest with a group of friends. Here the pretzel (bretzel in German) is circulated, probably as a way to absorb the mass amounts of pilsner that are being consumed. I found this to be the one thing that I craved over anything else. The soft fluffy center, with the crispy edges are in perfect harmony with the large salt pieces fastened to the dark outside of this beautiful bread. The twisted shape lends for pure entertainment (even more so after a few beer). I would travel to Germany just for the pure simple pleasure of stuffing my face again with the salty treat!
