Pretzel! Hot with mustard, please!

By Jenae Gayle

I am a New Yorker. From Niagara Falls to Montauk, I am a product of the Empire State. And I love it. My confidence, my style, my preferences, and my palate choices reflect what I deem to be the greatest state in the union. The influence of the Empire State resonates in everything we define as American: music, pastimes, and foods. So, when I was asked to think about something with mustard, I instantly thought of the streets of Manhattan, filled with carts.

Food carts have become its own subculture. Foodies descend upon popup food truck events in the same way the bourgeoisie book months in advance for private eateries. I like to think the city had something to do with that. The downtown centers of each borough have always been filled with carts. And as the ethnic makeup of that great space expanded so did the choices in foods.

Pretzels have been around forever. Literally, since the Middle Ages. There are varying accounts of their origins, but a few things are agreed upon: they are from Old World Europe; they started out soft; and they are connected to faith and spirituality. (Yeah, that last one made me raise an eyebrow too)

There is debate about the geographic origins of pretzels. The earliest depiction of a pretzel is in a 5th century manuscript. An account has it being made as an alternative food that adhered to newly imposed dietary restrictions during Lent. Other accounts have it as an incentive for children to behave during lessons from monks. Now whether those monks were in Southern France, Northern Italy, or Germany is also up for debate, but what is clear is that the Catholic Church was central in the creation and proliferation of these tasty treats.

Fast forward. Europeans realize they are not alone on the planet and send folks out to take over places that do not belong to them. Social and religious struggles. Political revolutions. Civil war. Ah, industrialization. And where there is a need for cheap labor capitalist societies will always see an influx of immigration. No one knows for sure which of these groups brought pretzels with them. No one really knows when they came. We do know that it was Pennsylvania, not New York, that made these bad boys famous. What is more is that these funny folks from Penn State were selling pretzels from hot dog carts on the street. Street vendors would smear hot mustard on them to cover up blisters in the hot sun. This practical marketing strategy led to an All-American classic: hot soft pretzels with mustard.

So, this Sunday 8/23, as Labor Day approaches and the summer winds die down, dip your pretzels in some mustard, and listen to Andre Myers’ latest work for the Dogs of Desire, Pulp Anthem: Reflecting Glory!

QUICK & EASY NO YEAST PRETZELS FOR TWO

Traditional pretzel recipes require yeast, a dough rise and a baking soda boil all before baking! Skip the wait with this quick & easy no yeast pretzels for two recipe - your new movie night at home snack that can be made in 30 minutes with little effort and maximum deliciousness!

 Prep Time 10 minutes

 Cook Time 20 minutes

 Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Oil for greasing

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature

• ⅔ cup milk

• 1 egg beaten

• Coarse salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease a baking sheet with oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined.

3. Add butter and cut into the flour with a dough cutter or fork to get pea-sized pieces of butter.

4. Add milk and stir until sticky dough forms.

5. Next, dump the dough onto a floured board or counter top and knead until well combined, about 5 to 10 times. Make sure not to over knead the dough or the butter will melt.

6. Form a ball and divide in half. Roll out one-half into a long tube and form a pretzel shape; place on prepared baking sheet. Do the same with the other half.

7. Brush the pretzels with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Once cooked, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.