Description
A pretzel is a bread pastry of Medieval European origin that has the shape of a three-looped knot or twisted braid.The pretzel dough is made from wheat flour, water, sugar, and yeast, sprinkled with coarse salt. Pretzels are typically glazed with lye and salted, and are available in a various shapes and sizes.

Pretzels may also be either soft or hard. Hard pretzels are commonly available in various shapes, from knotted loops to straight "pretzel sticks" (called Salzstangen in German, Ropi in Hungarian), while traditional soft pretzels are about the size of a hand. The wedding phrase "tying the knot" originated from the custom of using a pretzel to tie the knot between two prominent families. The pretzel's loops were believed to stand for everlasting love.

How to select
• Choose between soft or hard pretzels as per your requirement.
• They are readily available at bakery stores, and can also be baked at home.

Culinary Uses
• Pretzels are a popular snack in the United States, one popular variety being yoghurt-covered pretzels (or "ghost-face").
• Hard pretzels are also available with a sweet candy coating of chocolate, strawberryor other flavours. Chocolate-covered hard pretzels are very popular, especially around Christmas time.
• Other serving possibilities include pretzels dipped in mustard or cheese.
• In the Philadelphia area, crumbled hard pretzels are a common accompaniment to ice cream.

How to store
• Pretzels taste best when freshly-baked.
• Ready-to-eat pretzels can be refrigerated in plastic wrappers and heated just before serving.

Health benefits
• Pretzels are a good source of carbohydrate, and can quickly drive off hunger.
• Choose pretzels made from whole wheat or oat bran over refined flour, and you have a tasty and healthy breakfast or snack item.