Pretzel History!

Sources give different information for the time and place of the pretzel's origin. The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, claims that in 610 A.D. "...an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". However, no source is cited to back up these details. Documentation shows that pretzel shaped pastries were used in the bakery emblems of bakers guilds in Southern Germany since 1111. In the 12th century, Hortus deliciarum from the southwest German Alsace (today France) may contain the earliest depiction of a pretzel.
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