In the seventh century European monks began giving children twisted dough treats as rewards for learning their prayers. Thus was born the pretzel. (Purportedly the snack's three holes represent the holy trinity.) It became especially popular in southern Germany, whose emigrants eventually took their favoured snack to America. Many congregated in Pennsylvania.

在七世纪，欧洲的僧侣们开始将扭结状的面团零食奖励给背诵祈祷文的孩子们。 碱水结便由此诞生。 （据说，这种零食上的三个孔洞代表着“三位一体”。）它在德国南部尤其受欢迎，后来移民们将这一钟爱的零食带到了美国。 其中许多人聚居在宾夕法尼亚州。

Today the state produces four-fifths of America's pretzels, and exports many abroad as well. Even as snack sales have suffered from the rise of private labels and weight-loss drugs, pretzels have proved resilient. In the 12 months to mid-May Americans bought $2.9bn-worth of the crunchy treat, up by 2.6% from the previous year, according to Circana, a data provider. A dense cluster of bakeries is probably not what Donald Trump imagines when he speaks about reviving American manufacturing. Yet it represents a rare success for small, family-owned American factories.

如今，该州生产了全美五分之四的碱水结，并大量出口海外。 尽管零食销售受到了自有品牌和减肥药物的冲击，但碱水结展现出了强大的韧性。 根据数据提供商Circana的数据，在截至今年5月中旬的12个月里，美国人购买了价值29亿美元的这款酥脆零食，比上一年增长了2.6%。 当特朗普谈论重振美国制造业时，他脑海中的画面大概不是这些密集的烘焙坊。 然而，它却代表了美国小型家族工厂难得一见的成功。

The "pretzel belt" traces its origins to Pennsylvania's status as a haven for members of persecuted religions. William Penn's tolerant rule of the state he founded attracted European outcasts such as the Pennsylvania Dutch (who in fact spoke German). That cultural group, which includes members of religious sects like the Amish, brought pretzels and, in some cases, a knack for business. The Amish eschewed many modern technologies, but other Pennsylvania Dutch were eager inventors and adopters of tools such as the mechanised pretzel-maker and deep-fryer.

“碱水结带”的起源可以追溯到宾夕法尼亚州作为受迫害宗教人士避难所的历史。 威廉·佩恩对他建立的这个州采取了宽容的统治，吸引了诸如“宾州荷兰人”（实际上说德语）之类的欧洲边缘群体。 这一文化群体中包括了阿米什人等宗教派别，他们带来了碱水结，有些还具备经商的才能。 阿米什人摒弃了许多现代技术，但其他宾州荷兰人却是热心的发明家，并积极采用诸如机械化碱水结制造机和油炸机等工具。

Pretzels are not the only snack in the production of which Pennsylvania plays an outsize role (the state is also home to Hershey, America's biggest chocolatier). But they are the sphere it dominates most. The pretzel that caused George W. Bush to choke and briefly lose consciousness in 2002 was procured by the former president's chef from his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Some of the state's better-known pretzel businesses, such as Auntie Anne's, an eatery, have been acquired by national firms. But most remain locally owned.

碱水结并不是宾夕法尼亚州发挥超常作用的唯一零食（该州还是美国最大巧克力制造商好时公司的所在地）。 但它是该州主导地位最稳固的领域。 2002年，乔治·W·布什因碱水结噎住而短暂失去意识，那个碱水结正是由这位前总统的厨师从其家乡宾夕法尼亚州兰开斯特购买的。 该州一些较知名的碱水结企业，如连锁店安妮阿姨，已被全国性公司收购。 但大多数仍为本地所有。

Pretzels also help draw tourists to the state. At Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery in Lititz, another Pennsylvanian hamlet, customers drive from New York, New Jersey and Baltimore to tour local snack factories (as well as to catch glimpses of the Amish driving their horses-and-buggies). Such attractions have boosted Pennsylvania's travel industry, which brought in $50bn of visitor spending in 2024, the latest year for which data are available. Licence plates from as far away as Quebec and Alaska can be glimpsed in the parking lot. In the cars' boots, undoubtedly, lie boxes of pretzels.

碱水结也为该州吸引了游客。 在宾州另一个小镇利蒂茨的朱利叶斯·斯特吉斯碱水结烘焙坊，顾客们从纽约、新泽西和巴尔的摩驱车前来参观当地的零食工厂（顺带还能瞥见阿米什人赶着马车）。 这些景点促进了宾州的旅游业，2024年（有数据可查的最近年份）游客消费额达到了500亿美元。 在停车场里，能看到远至魁北克和阿拉斯加的车牌。 毫无疑问，在那些汽车的后备箱里，装的都是一盒盒的碱水结。