What would Munich be without pretzels? In the Bavarian capital, they are eaten for breakfast, with veal sausages or meat loaf. Even the little ones like to nibble on them with their first teeth.
‘Brezel’ instead of “Breze” is a no-go
The pretzel is a savoury pastry with an unusually twisted shape that resembles folded arms. This is where its name comes from, which is derived from the Latin word for arm, namely ‘brachium’. In Munich we say Breze or Brezn, but please don't call it Brezel! It is difficult to say exactly who invented the pastry, as there are a number of legends about it.
It was the result of an oversight
The Bavarian version is the following story: Joseph Eilles, who ran a speciality tea and coffee house in Residenzstraße in Munich, was purveyor to the court of King Ludwig II in the 19th century. He employed the baker Anton Nepomuk Pfannenbrenner in his coffee house. And he invented the pretzel by accident on 11 February 1893.
Instead of brushing the pretzels with sugar water as usual, Pfannenbrenner accidentally used caustic soda that day, which was actually intended for cleaning the baking trays. That same morning, a royal envoy from Württemberg, who wanted to have breakfast in the coffee house, tried the accidental invention. He was delighted and the success of the Bavarian pretzel began.
From the dough roller to the finished pastry
Since then, the pretzel has traditionally been made from wheat flour, yeast, malt, margarine, salt and water. The dough is first rolled into a long strand, held firmly at both ends and - this is where it gets tricky - the whole thing is twisted with the help of a special throwing technique. The pretzel is then dipped in bicarbonate of soda, sprinkled with coarse salt and baked.
Normally it measures about 15 cm and weighs 85 grams. Particularly large ones are made for the Oktoberfest and Munich's beer gardens and are around three times heavier.
Robbie Williams as a fan and bracelets with pretzels
Pretzels are now available not only in many parts of Germany, but even in America. But nowhere do they taste as good as in Bavaria. The ‘Bavarian pretzel’ is therefore considered a national speciality. It is so special that its name has been protected throughout Europe since 2014. And even Robbie Williams seems to be an avowed fan of the pretzel, as his hand is actually adorned with a pretzel tattoo. Munich Jewels offers bracelets with the crispy Munich symbol in gold, rose gold or silver and also as a mini version.
