Pretzel – Origins are disputed. One version claims that monks in Southern France or Northern Italy (ca. 610AD) fashioned the treat to resemble a child’s arms folded in prayer. The three holes represented the Holy Trinity. It was called Pretiola, Latin for “little reward.” This was due to the fact that monks handed them out as rewards to the children who memorized Bible verses. Eventually, it transformed into the Italian word, Brachiola, which translates into “little arms.” Once it spread to Germany/Austria, it became known as a pretzel/bretzel (brezel).
There are no clear, written records for this, however. The OED lists it as coming from Old High German, brezitella, from M.L. *brachitellum, presumably a kind of biscuit baked in the shape of folded arms.
It appeared in 1831-1856. Later became a verb (to contort/intertwine)
Sangria – The cocktail derives from the Spanish word for “bloody” (from Latin sanguem), so called because of its color. Earliest reference appears to be 1961.
Souffle – The word is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to rise or puff up.”
First found in English in 1813.
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