Martin's Pretzels can trace their origins to ancient Rome, but years after the introduction of the first pretzel in America (in 1850, according to some) the existence of the handmade hard pretzel ("Pennsylvania Dutch" or later "beer" pretzel) was endangered by automation that threatened to destroy the magic of deep pretzel crunch and flavor. Since the 1930’s, however, Martin’s Pretzels has held on to tradition. The pretzels, mixed in small batches of dough using a sour dough sponge, wind their way from the twisting table into a soda bath, then into a stone-lined oven, then into a drying oven, and finally into bags. The difference between machine and handmade pretzels is unimaginable without tasting…a mere crumb tells the whole story.