Getting back to normal: Americans encouraged to unwind while paying homage to the knotted treat

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April 26 is National Pretzel Day in the US. Pic: Snyder's of Hanover

For the past 38 years, Americans have been celebrating National Pretzel Day on 26 April, and this year is no exception, particularly after the twisted events of the past year.

Life is starting to get back to normal and US bakery and snack companies across the country are gearing up to encourage consumers to unravel on the day that honours the knotted treat.

Snyder’s of Hanover is taking to social media to give away 1,000 Crave Kits of Twisted Pretzel Sticks.

Fun facts

Despite being German in origin, the pretzel has been widely accepted into American culture, with around $500m worth of the baked treats sold in the US every year. In fact, it is estimated that Americans each consume an average of around two pounds of pretzels per year.

‘Pretzel’ originates from ‘pretiola,’ which means ‘little reward’ in Latin. The knotted dough was used to represent the Baker’s Guild in the 12th century.

The coiled snacks come in three ‘crave-able’ flavours – Extreme Seasoned, Sour Cream & Onion and Jalapeno Ranch. Like the bold flavours, the American snack producer is inviting fans to tag their boldest friends in the giveaway post comments on Instagram.

Another producer to jump onto the pretzel festivity bandwagon is Pretzelmaker, celebrating the day by giving away fresh-baked pretzels to customers at participating locations.

Customers must claim the freebie in-store and the giveaway is open to both Pretzelmaker Rewards members and non-members.

“National Pretzel Day is our favourite day of the year and in 2021 its back with fresh-baked love for all,” said Annica Conrad, chief marketing officer for Global Franchise Group, the parent company of Pretzelmaker.

“By providing a free soft pretzel to our customers, we are providing a small taste of normalcy – something we all could use right now.”

Likewise, the Philly Pretzel Factory is handing out free pretzels to all customers on the day at its locations around New Jersey, as is hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise Auntie Anne’s through its Pretzel Perks app.