A knotted bread dipped in a lye bath before baking, so it comes out deep brown and shiny, scattered with coarse salt.
What makes it bretzel
A plain yeasted dough, rolled into a rope with a thick middle.
Dipped in lye before baking.
Coarse salt on top.
Where it comes from
Pretzels are old in the Rhine lands and southern Germany, and the knot has been a bakers' sign for centuries; stories of monks shaping them as arms crossed in prayer are told but can't be pinned down. In Alsace they're sold warm from bakery windows and street stalls.
The Alsatian bretzel has a fat belly and thin, crisp arms, like its German cousins across the river. The lye bath is what gives the dark, glossy crust and the particular taste.