Hanover, Pennsylvania Snyder's of Hanover is an American bakery and pretzel brand distribution company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, specializing in German traditional pretzels.

Ingredients. Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Malt (Tapioca Syrup, Malt Extract), Cane Sugar, Canola Oil*, Yeast, Soda. *Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat. CONTAINS: WHEAT.

Snyder's-Lance, Inc. is the second largest salty snack maker in the United States. It was formed by the 2010 merger of Lance Inc. and Snyder's of Hanover. The company is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company.

Snyder's of Hanover did just that, introducing its Flavored Pretzel Pieces in 1992 with Honey Mustard & Onion; Buttermilk Ranch and Cheddar Cheese followed the year after. Today, there are seven varieties from the 104-year-old company that claims to be the global leader in pretzel sales.

In the 1920s, Grandma Eda and Edward Snyder started selling their homemade fried potato chips door to door, at fairs, and at local markets while their son and his wife made and sold angel food cake. The two merged to form Snyder's Bakery in 1924. In 1909, Harry Warehime began making Olde Tyme Pretzels.

Pretzels, made of a simple mixture of water, flour and salt, were an ideal food to consume during Lent, when all types of meat, dairy and eggs were prohibited. The first pretzels were baked as a soft, squishy bread, like the soft pretzels of today.

An Italian monk teaching children in Northern Italy is said to have invented soft little pretzels and called them pretiola or little rewards, to reward children for learning their prayers. He is said to have made the treats with little arms forming the 'knot', to resemble little arms crossed of children in prayer.

While no one knows for sure how pretzels originated, the most popular story is that in 610 A.D., while baking bread, an Italian monk decided to create a special treat to motivate his distracted students. He rolled out ropes of dough, twisted them to resemble hands crossed on the chest in prayer, and then baked them.

In the late 18th century, southern German and Swiss German immigrants introduced the pretzel to North America. The immigrants became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and in time, many handmade pretzel bakeries populated the central Pennsylvania countryside, and the pretzel's popularity spread.

The legend of the pretzel The Catholic Church claims that a monk in Northern Italy created pretzels by using left-over dough that was originally made for Lent. He created the signature pretzel shape because it was meant to symbolize a child praying with his arms folded across his chest.

Probably because of their origin at a monastery, pretzels came to have religious importance. In the Middle Ages, monks gave away pretzels to the poor; this led to pretzels being seen as a religious symbol that provided sustenance, good fortune, and prosperity.

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.

Some say they were originally called “bracellae,” the Latin term for “little arms,” from which Germans later derived the word “bretzel.” According to others, the earliest pretzels were dubbed “pretiolas,” meaning “little rewards,” and handed out by the monks when their young pupils recited their prayers correctly.