A Local Pitch for Philadelphia

As many followers of our blog and our company know, our hometown is Philadelphia, and so every now and then we pause to savor a bit of what makes us unique. To wit, the mighty Philadelphia soft pretzel.

A staple in the stands at Phillies games, it never, ever tastes as good elsewhere. When friends and clients visit us, they always want two things: a real Philly cheese steak and an authentic soft pretzel. (Never did anything so soft constitute hard news.)

Purchased at the ballgame from a vendor who addresses you as “Yooze,” it is a testament to dough. Lots of dough. Originally more round, lately it has taken on more of a sleek, almost aerodynamic shape. We prefer the original. You look at it and figure you’ll never be able to consume the entire thing (oh, but you do).

Its origins are almost as old as the Quaker City itself. German settlers in the 1700′s, apparently looking for something to do with leftover gluten, formed a glazed biscuit baked in the form of a loose knot or a stick. The “brezel” or “prezel” as it was first called, caught on big.

When you live here, you get used to good pretzels and not-so-good. Some tips for the pretzel-obsessed:

• Buy yours from a street vendor or at a game, for a fresh, soft, and chewy pretzel with just the right amount of coarse salt.
• Never buy pretzels that are wrapped in plastic. The best packaging is a brown paper bag.
• If the pretzels look in the least bit moist, pass them up.
• Avoid pretzels that have been reheated by the vendor. They are usually hard.
• Look for a golden brown color and a “fresh” appearance.

Add a liberal dollop of yellow mustard from a squeeze bottle (this is not a Dijon moment), and enjoy. You will realize just one of the reasons that despite having clients across the country, we choose to call this little part of the world home.

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Direct Choice Inc. is a full-service direct marketing agency that has worked with national and regional brands in a wide variety of vertical markets. In addition to this blog, you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.