With stories tracing pretzels back to the early centuries, little is known regarding its real origin. As you may reckon, suggestions have been made and theories developed. People have searched for evidence and links that might suggest the birthplace of this famous baked bread. Such studies have only made the origin of the pretzels more ambiguous. Almost every proposition to suggest its origin seems true. And this is the problem. In fact, those suggestions that lack substantial evidence are the ones that appeal most. Presently, a number of claims about its origin have been recorded. Is it true that the ancient Romans, or the German bakers in 743, or the Greeks a thousand years ago, or even the French and Italian monks in the 610 had anything to do with this?
Well, according to the History of Science and Technology, a story is told of a monk in Italy in the year 610. The monk is said to have baked strips of dough bread as a symbol of a child folding arms in prayer. He would then give them to the children who memorized the prayers well. He called the strips "pretiolas" meaning "little rewards". Seems very true, right? Unfortunately, there is no known evidence from the 600s to confirm such proposition.
The story is also linked to a group of desperate German bakers who were held captives by some local dignitaries. Perhaps, they are the ones who introduced the pretzels into Germany. The earliest recorded evidence of the pretzels was discovered in the crest of German Barker's guilds in the year 1111. Later on, in 1185, a display of the pretzels appeared on the Hortus Delicarum which was compiled by Herrard of Landsberg in Alsace (a region in Germany.) It is, however, most likely that the pretzels existed long way before.
Some research has also suggested a link with the Greek ring bread which was baked and used as a communion bread a thousand years ago in the monasteries. Perhaps, it is the slight similarity in appearance that generated this conclusion. In the Christian church, pretzels were taken to have religious implications. Its knot shape was taken to represent arms in prayer. Furthermore, the three holes normally present in a pretzel are taken symbolically to mean the Holy Trinity; the Father, son, and the holy spirit. Nobody knows for sure who and where the pretzels came from. Evidence that has been found only suggest its existence and not its origin. More research is therefore needed if the origin of the pretzels is to be known.