Pretzel,+Soft

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Introduction
Food history is not typically thought of as an important topic in history. It is often categorized as a household chore or even a science. Although food is not as powerful as a war or a presidential election, it might say just as much or even more about history. Food says a lot about the past and the journey to the present. Many foods recall past events and cultures. To many individuals, food represents where they came from and the many stories associated with their pasts. Food history is helpful in learning about the past and creating new futures.

Various problems with food shortages throughout history have shaped many cultures known to date. These problems have even affected America, largely in part to the sudden wave of immigration in earlier years. It’s no secret that many immigrants were extremely hungry before coming to America (Minnesota State University). They simply didn’t have enough food back in their old countries. Hasia Diner notes that the immigrants came to America to find a cure for their empty bellies. These determined people knew they could find new jobs and make enough money to put food on the table. Once immigration became a popular pursuit, a new clash of different heritages stormed the American lands. With these new heritages came a new American culture, all thanks to food and its history for these immigrants. By mixing foreign preferences of the immigrants and industrialized American ideas, many new foods were created in America during the immigration period (Diner 1-6).

The idea that the American industrial culture established many new subcultures and foods in America stretches far beyond immigration. The same Industrial Revolution that brought on the immigration wave also played a key role in many food industries. One industry that was heavily involved in the Industrial Revolution was the pretzel making industry. The pretzel industry may seem trivial, but it is one food industry that certainly has a lot of history.

Background
Immigrants from southern Germany and Switzerland were known for their soft-pretzels. When they came to America, they put their own footprint on American culture by continuing their soft-pretzel making passion. The Swiss and German people learned this skillful art through many generations of their pretzel making ancestors.

It all started in 610 A.D. in Italy. As the story goes, an Italian monk needed to come up with a tasty treat to reward children who learned their prayers. What he came up with is the beginning of something that is widely familiar. This monk created the first pretzel from bread, and it was a big hit. Since that interesting mark in history, the pretzel has continued to evolve. Throughout the last one and a half millennia, the pretzel has evolved into the form that many people know and love today. These soft pretzels are still eaten quite often all over the world, especially in many eastern European countries (Burton).

The pretzel wasn’t just good for a reward for children. In times when food was scarce, pretzels really saved the day. During the medieval period, in Bavaria and Frankfurt, for example, the soft pretzel became a very common snack for poor and hungry people. Because it mostly consisted of flour, bread, and salt, it was quick and easy to make. This cheap and quick snack was popular among the poorer citizens of Germany, and mostly everyone in Germany was able to afford soft pretzels. Because it was such a delicious snack, even the royalty enjoyed soft pretzels. The ability of the soft pretzel to transcend class lines allowed it to be enjoyed universally. Because of its simplicity, convenience, and popularity the soft pretzel still exists in many countries, including modern America (Burton).

The Beginning of a New Industrialized Industry
The soft pretzel grew increasingly popular thanks to the Germans’ pretzel making skills. When soft pretzels were fairly new, many Germans started their own businesses where they hand-twisted their pretzels. This trend started to catch on. Soon enough, non-German citizens started to hand twist pretzels on their own. An example can be taken from the life of Edmund Nacchio. Nacchio, an Italian-American, founded the Federal Baking Company, which specialized in making soft pretzels. He followed his mother’s recipe for soft pretzels and set out to sell them in south Philadelphia. Since an Italian-American sold soft pretzels in a highly Italian part of Philadelphia, soft pretzels became popular among Italian-Americans. Nacchios’s ingenious move helped to popularize the treat even more, and many people were enjoying soft pretzels (Burton).

Nacchio’s Federal Baking Company was responsible for the first soft pretzel produced by machinery. Although machine-produced pretzels were heavier and denser, German-Americans were very receptive towards them. These new pretzels were just as good as old ones, and they tasted just the same. The German-Americans also liked that the machines produced more pretzels than what was possible to do by hand. In fact, many of the German-American pretzel companies started using machinery to produce their pretzels. The Sturgis bakery started using machinery for production and quickly became the Tom Sturgis Pretzel Company (Burton).

Soon after the introduction of soft pretzels in America and the beginnings of pretzel machinery, pretzel bakeries and new pretzel innovations popped up all over the place. In 1861, Julius Sturgis created the first commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Not long after that, the Reading Pretzel Machinery Company first introduced the automatic pretzel twisting machine in 1935. While the Lititz bakery was critical in first publicizing the soft pretzel, the pretzel twisting machine was the ticket to revolutionizing pretzel making. This handy little machine was responsible for introducing the soft pretzel to the whole nation. With the help of the pretzel twisting machine, it became possible to make a large amount of pretzels very quickly and efficiently. Thanks to this new invention, many people, such as Californians, were able to enjoy soft pretzels more conveniently (Burton).

In addition to being convenient, the soft pretzel was also extremely affordable. These two facts combined together allowed the soft pretzel to be commonly accepted and loved across many different cultures. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, it became even easier to make the pretzel more convenient and affordable than it already was. With new machinery, people were able to mass produce soft pretzels and provide them to many people. So many people ate soft pretzels because they were a ready-made snack that could be bought for only a dollar or two. They wouldn’t have been so cheap and convenient if it weren’t for the Industrial Revolution and the machinery used to make the soft pretzels. The Industrial Revolution really helped to skyrocket the pretzel making business. Just ask the people who currently own and operate Herr Foods in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. From a firsthand account, one of the main men of Herr’s pretzel business comments on the process of pretzel making: // "Into the pretzel room you go. Look through the glass, and you’ll see dough mixed into // // 300-pound balls, then divided into more manageable 8-pound pieces. These go into an // // extruder that forces the dough through pretzel-shaped dies. Pretzels are baked in ovens // // heated to over 500 degrees. After baking, they dry in a kiln" (Silverman 8). //

Without the wonderful machines that came about during that time period, people would still be making old-fashioned pretzels by hand. By taking a look at this hardworking pretzel maker’s honest story, it is easy to see how the Industrial Revolution impacted the pretzel making industry.

The pretzel making industry also fed people by giving them jobs so they could afford food. This is mostly due to the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Many lower skilled laborers who couldn’t find work elsewhere were employed through pretzel industries. Because of mass production, a lot of these workers were hired to stand in assembly lines and repetitively perform very specific tasks to make pretzels. This often required operating the machinery of the Industrial Revolution. The use of mechanization eliminated the need for skilled laborers and gave many opportunities for jobs to those who needed them the most. Even more jobs were supplied due to the increased need for factory supervisors. Because of the increase in employees, there needed to be more supervisors. Thanks to the pretzel making industry and the Industrial Revolution, many people were offered jobs who might have been poor otherwise (Williamette University).
 * Results of Industrialization:**

Because mass production in many food industries, such as the pretzel making industry, opened up a lot of job opportunities for unskilled laborers, many immigrants came to America at the time looking for jobs. Most of the immigrants were unskilled and needed money desperately. So, they fled to the country that provided the best job opportunities – America. Different ethnicities started to interact because of the Industrial Revolution and the jobs that it provided. Unskilled workers from all different countries started new lives in America. This led to cultural interaction and the opportunity for different foods to be experienced by all Americans.

The modern soft pretzel many people know and love today was essentially a product of the Industrial Revolution. It became a common food associated with the American lifestyle. It was easily accepted by many Americans for various reasons. Soft pretzels were cheap, convenient, and delicious snacks. It also greatly benefitted America economically. Thanks to pretzel making throughout the Industrial Revolution, many people were supplied with much needed jobs in factories.

Pretzel making exemplifies the importance of the Industrial Revolution in food history. With the help of new machinery and new inventions, something that started out as a craft was turned into a popular industry. The revolutionized soft-pretzel making industry benefited many people in many ways. It helped to define modern America and the cultures within it. Current American food and technology depends heavily upon the innovations brought about by the Industrial Revolution. It even impacts the American economy the ways of life that is so dear to many Americans.
 * Conclusion:**