The Early Christians did not eat any dairy products during Lent. So one of the popular things to make and eat during Lent were pretzels as they are made mostly of flour, water and salt. My girls and I started making pretzels on Ash Wednesday and had them as our special treat on Fridays during Lent. The shape of the pretzel symbolizes how the early Christians used to pray, with the arms folded across their chest. So they are also a fun visual reminder to little ones to say their prayers! The origin of the name comes from the word "bracellae" (little arms). In German it became "Bretzel" which then changed to "Pretzel".
I have tried several recipes for homemade pretzels, but our favorite comes from one of my favorite liturgical cooking sites: Catholic Cuisine. The girls loved to help make the dough, shape the pretzels and (my kids favorite part) brushing on the egg white and shaking on the salt. Enjoy! We might have to make this a Friday tradition all year round!!
