PRETZELS: We missed National Pretzel Day. It feels like a bit of a crime in Pennsylvania not to give kudos to the Pennsylvania Dutch on such an occasion, for they brought the twisty treat with them from Europe.

From visitpa.com, “Although National Pretzel Day is in April, here in PA we get to celebrate this iconic salty snack every day. This national holiday, first declared in Pennsylvania, embraces fellow pretzel lovers throughout the nation as they pay homage to their favorite twisted treat on April 26 every year. With reportedly 80 percent of pretzel production from 45 factories here in the Keystone State, it’s only fitting this national day of pretzel commemoration originated in PA!

“The pretzel was so loved by German bakers, it was even added to the bakery guild’s crest in the 12th century. Fast forward to the 17th and 18th centuries when people from Germany started to settle in southeastern Pennsylvania, bringing their homeland’s traditions and recipes with them.

“The production of pretzels likely would have remained the purview of home kitchens but for the entrepreneurial spirit of one Pennsylvania baker who saw the pretzel’s potential as a promising commercial enterprise. Julius Sturgis was that baker and entrepreneur. According to family lore, Sturgis was given a pretzel recipe by a man who was down on his luck in thanks for a meal. After Sturgis’s first batch was a hit with his family and then became a much sought-after item sold in his bakery, Sturgis decided to go all out, built an addition onto his home in Lititz, and opened the first commercial pretzel factory in 1861. And the rest, as they say, is history!”

The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is still in operation today.