Did you know that pretzels were actually invented by a Catholic monk for Lent? In fact, during the Middle Ages, they were very popular in Europe and were a main food all during Lent! Pretzels have been around ever since the 600s, maybe even earlier. The first pretzels were more like soft breads, like the soft pretzels of today.

The holy season of Lent has always been a time prayer and penance. But in days gone by, people would give up much more during Lent and would fast from meat, eggs, fats and milk - anything that came from an animal. And Lent being in the dead of winter, people’s meals consisted mainly on bread and water.

Originally, pretzels were called ‘bracellae’, which means ‘little arms’. This is because if you take a pretzel that we know now and rotate it, so that there is only one hole on the top, it looks like a person with their arms crossed in front of themselves. This is how the pretzel first looked like. When we pray, we usually fold our hands. In those days, when people prayed it was not uncommon for them to cross their arms over their chest instead. And so the pretzels were called ‘little arms’.

Who thought of it? It was a young monk in Italy who first had the inspiration to bake a pretzel. He used thin strips of leftover dough and - by twisting the ends together - he formed them into the familiar prayer position. He then baked them as if they were little breads and thus combined into one a symbol of both prayer and penance. The three holes that are formed in the pretzel were also a reminder of the Holy Trinity.

So, while still being able to maintain the fast and also feel fed by these hearty snacks, Catholics enjoyed this simple treat and the idea soon spread. Pretzels became extremely popular in Europe - a favorite during Lent.

Because the pretzels resembled a person in prayer, they were often given as a treat to the children who knew their prayers well. These pretzel prizes were quickly termed by the monks as ‘pretiola’, which means ‘little reward’. It's easy to see how the German word for them - ‘bretzel’ - could have come from this as well as ‘bracellae’, and from which over time their word ‘bretzel’ became our word ‘pretzel’.

So this Lent, when you can’t have some treat you’ve given up, enjoy a nice crunchy pretzel instead - remembering how it was Catholics like you that made this Lenten bread and worldwide snack! And don’t forget to offer a special prayer for all the monks who first created them for us. They’d be glad to know their pretzel is still enjoyed - especially during Lent.