This Small Pennsylvania City Is The Pretzel Capital Of The World. Here's Why

Pennsylvania would be justified in renaming itself "Pretzelvania." The Keystone State is responsible for churning out 80% of the pretzels in the U.S. At one point, the city of Reading played such a huge role in producing this popular snack that it was dubbed the "Pretzel Capital of the World." Located in the southeastern part of the state, Reading was once home to over 24 pretzel factories. The tale of how this happened has various twists and turns.

The most popular origin story begins with Julius Sturgis, who is often credited with opening the first commercial pretzel factory in the United States in 1861. Though the factory was situated in Lititz — not Reading — Sturgis' grandson Marriott would be instrumental in ensuring that the latter city became the world's pretzel capital. Marriott opened Tom Sturgis Pretzels in Reading in 1946, and the other factories followed suit.

A different account involves Benjamin Lichtenthaler, a baker known for making delicious pretzels throughout Pennsylvania and other neighboring states. Sources disagree on the timeline, but according to one version of events, he moved to Reading and opened a commercial pretzel factory in 1860. An alternate retelling of that history claims he arrived in Reading sometime in the 1870s. Either way, by 1893, Lichtenthaler's factory made pretzels at a rate of 1.5 million per year. The snack business continued booming in the 20th century, and a 1948 article in the Historical Review of Berks County referred to Reading as the "Pretzel Capital of the World."

The massive success of Reading's top snack would become evident in multiple facets of life in the 19th and 20th centuries. At one point, the key to the city had a handle shaped like a pretzel. A local newsletter was named after the snack. A 1904 campaign button distributed in Reading even bore the image of a pretzel.

People don't associate Reading with its capital status as much as they once did. However, if you find yourself in the city, there are still pretzel-themed places to visit. One is Tom Sturgis Pretzels, which boasts a bakery and store. Among the products it makes are cheese gems, which consist of cheddar baked in pretzel dough. Fans who want something on the sweeter end of the spectrum can find a product that might put the best grocery store chocolate-covered pretzels to shame: Tom Sturgis makes a version shaped like a horse and buggy.

Unique Pretzel Bakery is another noteworthy location in Reading. Named as the Snack Producer of the Year in 2016 by Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, it makes pretzel splits (which have distinctive bubbles and grooves), sourdough rings, pretzel shells, and other goodies. The location has earned praise from a number of customers. A reviewer on Yelp declared that the bakery had the "best dry pretzels I've ever tasted."