Snack food - Pretzel

Pretzels are a type of bread typically made from wheat or rye flour and a few other ingredients, such as yeast, sugar, salt, water, and butter. Snack food pretzel is shaped in the form of a loose knot and top is shiny; from having been glazed. It is one of its defining characteristics. The pretzel market has grown in recent years because pretzels are considered a healthier, fat-free snack.

As per the original recipe, the pretzel is basically a salty cracker; but other variations have seen the biscuit soften – resulting from a tweaked recipe.

This German invention has been said to hail from German monks. According to legend, the classic pretzel knot was invented by a monk who baked his pretzels in this shape to represent praying arms. Its association with lent is probably because of the fact that pretzels have a very basic recipe making use of just water and flour at the most basic.

The crossed arms at the top of the pretzel are rolled very thin. The goal is to have a thick, soft area at one end, and delicate, crunchy bites at the other.

This popular snack food can be soft and chewy or hard and crunchy but almost always has a shiny, brown appearance. Soft pretzels typically have a much higher moisture content than hard pretzels and are usually larger. They also have a shorter shelf life. Other shapes are also produced such as thick and thin rods, pretzel rings, and loops.

Pretzels are boiled and then baked. Traditional German pretzels are first dipped in a 3% to 4% lye-to-water bath before baking. It would give the outside of the pretzel its beautiful golden-brown color and uniquely crisp and chewy texture. It is also giving their distinctive, slightly soapy flavor and deep brown hue.
Snack food - Pretzel

One of the most popular snacks: French fries

French fries are a popular snack food made from potatoes. Potatoes are sliced to make sticks, deep fried in vegetable oil, seasoned and served with tomato chili sauce. As a cheap, nutritious and easily grown food, the potato has a history that is long - dating from pre history times and its preparations have been varied.

French fries are among the highest saleable potato products. This is the most abundant processed potato and can be found in many varieties such as lattice cut, wedges, curly, batter dipped, seasoned, or straight –cut including French Fries on menu is one of the easiest ways to increase sales and profits for the companies.

Potatoes in America were for a long time served only after boiling, which was believed necessary to render eatable the otherwise poisonous vegetable. There are several dozen recognized market varieties of potatoes grown in the United States and more are being developed each year. The Irish Cobbler is probably the most widely grown and the Katahdin is grown in the greatest volume. Among the more popular varieties are the Russet Burbank (Idaho), Cobbler, Katahdin, White Rose, Green Mountain, Bliss, Triumph (red), Russett Rural, Kennebec, Norgold, and Pontiac. Various varieties of potatoes have their own cooking qualities.

The french fries is a comparatively recent addition to retained bulls of fare, gaining accompaniment with meat as another way of satisfying America’s long standing taste for meat and potatoes.

The modifier “French” referred to the method of slicing transferred from the cutting of other vegetables in narrow strips and of cutting meat to the bone. One reliable source dates the first printed reference to french-fries potatoes to 1908. French fries have been criticized for their level of cholesterol, trans fat, salt and their lack of essential nutrient.

This is a special problem for children and teenagers. Approximately one quarter of the vegetable product consumed by children are in the form of potato chips and french fries. This increased to about one third of the vegetable servings consumed by teenagers.

The major end users of French fries are:
*Quick service restaurants
*Restaurants and eateries
*Bars/ pubs
*Flight Caterers / Luxury Trains
*Retail sales

One of the most popular snacks: French fries