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Pretzel Belt
Cultural region of the United States
Areas encompassing the counties largely constituting the Pretzel Belt with brighter red reflecting Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Areas encompassing the counties largely constituting the Pretzel Belt with brighter red reflecting Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Country United States
States Pennsylvania

The Pretzel Belt, or Pennsylvania Snack Belt, is a concentration of pretzel and snack food makers in the central southeastern region of Pennsylvania, roughly coterminous with Pennsylvania Dutch Country.[1][2][3] The first commercial pretzel manufacturer in the United States, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, was founded in the region in the borough of Lititz in 1861, and remains extant there today. By the beginning of the 20th century the pretzel had become a cultural institution in the region.[4] The rise of pretzels in the region is attributed in part to their popularity with Civil War soldiers who passed through the area.[5] In the twentieth century, the first automated pretzel machine was developed in Reading, Pennsylvania.[6] Manufacturers also include several pretzel and chip bakeries in Hanover, Pennsylvania, which holds the nickname "the snack capital of the world", as well as other examples like Hershey, Pennsylvania, home of the Hershey Chocolate Company and Asher's Chocolate Co., in Souderton, Pennsylvania.[7][8]

Pennsylvania in general produces 80% of the pretzels consumed in the U.S.,[9] with many of the top producers located in York County alone.[10] Auntie Anne's, the international pretzel franchise, was founded in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.[11]

The term "Pretzel Belt" has also been used in a similar context to describe an area of the mid-Atlantic where pretzel consumption is higher than most U.S. states.[12][13]

Pretzel companies founded in this region include Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, Herr's, Utz, Auntie Anne's, Snyder's of Hanover, Federal Pretzel Baking Company, Rold Gold, and Wise.

References

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  1. ^ "Pretzel Past and Present". Chicago Metro News. Chicago. April 12, 1980. p. 15. Lititz today is a town of 6,000 in the Pretzel Belt or 'Distilfink' [sic] section of the Quaker state.
  2. ^ Anthony, Ted (June 2008). "The Pennsylvania Snack Belt". Gourmet. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  3. ^ Hottle, Heather (January 24, 2014). "Why do we love snack food?". Penn State News. The Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2020. Companies from around the commonwealth — referred to as the snack food belt — supply many of the Sunday afternoon munchies enjoyed while calling plays from the couch.
  4. ^ "In Hands of Trust; Sorrow in Pretzel Belt Over Consolidation of Bakeries". Boston Herald. Boston. September 24, 1916. p. 31. In the pretzel belt of Pennsylvania that viand of the gods is not, as in the outlands, merely an associate of the beer glass, but in the place of its birth nourishes the baby, cheers by the pocketful beaux at the theatre and movies, accompanies every fan to the ball game and snoops down upon such gatherings as are witnessed at the Allentown fair by the trainload.
  5. ^ Kovach, Emily. "PA Food Icons: Pretzels". PA Eats. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  6. ^ Dinerstein, Chuck. "It's A Pretzel Party". American Council on Science and Health. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  7. ^ Conn, David (August 14, 1994). "Pretzel giants vie for snacking dough". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2021-06-20. Retrieved 2020-04-14. Tiny Hanover itself and the surrounding Pennsylvania Dutch towns are home to so many old-time 'pretzel benders' that the area is America's undisputed, if unofficial, pretzel belt.
  8. ^ Nosowitz, Dan (October 24, 2017). "Investigating Pennsylvania's Very Particular Penchant for Potato Chips". Atlas Obscura. The Pennsylvania Dutch territory, which spans the entire potato chip and pretzel-making belt, is famously insular; this is an area that makes stuff for the people who live there.
  9. ^ "As we mark National Pretzel Day, give thanks to Pennsylvania for its role in the knotted snack". 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Pretzel Facts". October 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  11. ^ Vella, Matt (14 August 2014). "This Is the Deeply Moving, Almost Unbelievable Story Behind Auntie Anne's Pretzels". Time. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  12. ^ Holmes, Meghan (January 19, 2016). "A New Orleans Twist on Pretzels". New Orleans & Me. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020. The Pennsylvania Dutch, also known as the Amish, brought soft Bavarian pretzels to Pennsylvania in the 19th century – continuing a baking tradition established in Germany centuries earlier. The pretzel belt developed from there – encompassing the Mid-Atlantic States where most pretzel aficionados reside.
  13. ^ Uebelherr, Jan (April 24, 2003). "Twisted". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wi. pp. 1E, 4E. The mid-Atlantic states are known as America's 'pretzel belt.' The per-capita annual consumption is four pounds—twice the national average.

Further reading

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