I like grocery stores and visit them everywhere I travel.

One thing I have noticed is that the snack aisles in PA grocery stores are dominated by pretzels, with far more manufacturers than you would find elsewhere. Some of the packaging implies bad blood. Snyder's of Hanover says it's not associated with Snyder's of Berlin. There's gotta be a story there.

So, all these pretzel brands and they all taste the same to me.

What gives?

Pretzels are a baked bread type thing that the PA Dutch just west of PHL brought over from Germany/Europe. You are right that many of the better pretzel companies are based in that area.

You should try the ones that are in small individual sized packages that are marketed at pretzel baseball bats!

Having grown up in s/e PA, pretzels are a favorite of mine. They are ubiquitous in the area. We even had a field trip to a local pretzel factory in grade school. We *always* had a tin of hard pretzels at home. They're a relatively healthy snack (compared to chips, anyway) and generally a better value.

I'm not sure I'd read too much into the Snyders of Hanover/Berlin thing. I think the two companies share common roots, but the Hanover version is clearly the market leader (I've seen their products in airline snack boxes).

However, there are many other (some would say better) pretzels out there, including Andersons, Utz, Bickels, etc.

And nothing beats a Philly soft pretzel for breakfast in the morning, complete with salt and mustard on top.
Cheap and filling !

Here's a snippet I found after Googling the history of Snyder history:

Suspiciously, Snyder of Berlin (pronounced BER-lin) is located near the location of the better-known/more widely distributed Snyder's of Hanover, though their packaging declares, "We are not connected with Snyder's of Hanover, Inc." In fact, it seems they were once the same company but split in 1981, at which point the Berlin plant became the lesser-known company.

In PA and NJ pretzels were served a lot. No one offered you a coke without some pretzels. A basket of pretzels was always brought to the table at ice cream parlors (sit-down service). After a swim meet--pretzels and an orange-flavored drink. (Mustard for the pretzel rods was expected, too, and the kid who didn't layer on the mustard was a total wimp). But buying pretzels at the store was not optimal--having them delivered by Charles Chips was the best! Hard choice between the chips and the pretzels, as they were equally good, and the container kept them fresh. Nothing tastes fresh anymore. Soft pretzels were in a class by themselves!! There I go waxing nostalgic about the '60's.

So, all these pretzel brands and they all taste the same to me.
:mad: ;)

having them delivered by Charles Chips was the best -snip-There I go waxing nostalgic about the '60's.
My best friend used to get deliveries from the Charlie Chip Man (in the 70's). Their chips were the best. :)

But buying pretzels at the store was not optimal--having them delivered by Charles Chips was the best! Hard choice between the chips and the pretzels, as they were equally good, and the container kept them fresh. Nothing tastes fresh anymore. Soft pretzels were in a class by themselves!! There I go waxing nostalgic about the '60's.

My folks sprang for Charles Chips, too! Ah ... life in Joizey ...

Give me a soft pretzel with mustard any day! My parents are from PA and we pretty much grew up on those. Fortunately, they are very easy to get in NY and in just about every mall and shop these days.

Having grown up in s/e PA, pretzels are a favorite of mine. They are ubiquitous in the area. We even had a field trip to a local pretzel factory in grade school. We *always* had a tin of hard pretzels at home. They're a relatively healthy snack (compared to chips, anyway) and generally a better value.

I'm not sure I'd read too much into the Snyders of Hanover/Berlin thing. I think the two companies share common roots, but the Hanover version is clearly the market leader (I've seen their products in airline snack boxes).

However, there are many other (some would say better) pretzels out there, including Andersons, Utz, Bickels, etc.

i grew up in pottstown, pa - and i had the same field trip!!
and i'm old enough to remember trip to dorney park - its a mall now

And nothing beats a Philly soft pretzel for breakfast in the morning, complete with salt and mustard on top.
Cheap and filling !


i was an undergrad at Penn
i remember it well
that was $0.20 breakfest every morning
as I rolled out of the dorm and off to class

i grew up in pottstown, pa - and i had the same field trip!!
and i'm old enough to remember trip to dorney park - its a mall now

What's a mall now? Dorney Park? I'm pretty sure it's still there.

I grew up in Douglassville, just a couple miles NW of Pottstown, and this thread is bringing back memories. Mmmmmm...PA dutch food, in general, is some of the best I've ever had, and the pretzels are no exception. And I remember the Charles Chip man--when I was a kid, I once asked the deliverer, "Are you Charles?" Got a good laugh out of everyone :).

As for Dorney being a mall, I just drove past that area in January, and Dorney Park was still there. Did something happen in the last month or two?