Pretzels were created in 610 C.E. by a European monk whose name is lost to history. Food historians trace him to Italy or Southern France.

He formed leftover bread dough in a shape that represent children’s arms folded in prayer. The baked pretzels were given as a reward to children who had successfully memorized their prayers. The original word, “pretiola,” is Latin for “little reward.”

We’ll bite to that!

• Don’t want to bake? Find reviews of our favorite pretzels in our Gourmet Snacks section.
• Take our Pretzel Trivia Quiz.

Bake your own soft pretzels. You can
get creative with the toppings. Photo
© Wendyday | Dreamstime.

Enjoy a colorful asparagus frittata for
breakfast or lunch. Photo courtesy California
Asparagus Commission.

We steam fresh asparagus stalks to al dente, so tasty they don’t even require butter (but maybe a squeeze of lemon or lime juice or a pinch of seasoned salt, like Fusion flavored sea salts, or our favorite imported saffron salt from Casina Rossa).

Steamed asparagus are a dieter’s delight—just 27 calories per cup, lots of dietary fiber and high or very high in 15 vitamins and minerals.

Asparagus also work into impressive recipes. Here, we present 11 recipes—something for every meal of the day—courtesy of the California Asparagus Commission.

• Start by reading the history of asparagus (the ancient Greeks and Romans loved them!), along with asparagus shopping tips and cooking basics.
• Then, dig in to the recipes.
• Find more of our favorite vegetable recipes in our Gourmet Vegetables section.

When you buy fresh herbs, they’ll last longer if you keep them hydrated.

You can buy an “herb keeper” like the one in the photo, but you don’t need one. It’s simple to create a makeshift herb hydrator:

1. If the herbs have roots, place them in a glass of water covered with a plastic bag before refrigerating.

2. For a no-spill solution, instead of the glass use a quart-size plastic take-out container and secure the lid.

3. If you don’t have room for a glass or quart container, wrap the fresh herbs in damp paper towels and place in the plastic bag. Then, tuck in your produce drawer, or anywhere else it fits.

Find articles about herbs, reviews of our favorite herbs, salts and seasonings, and how to check your bottles of herbs and spices for freshness in our Salts & Seasonings section.

The Prepara Herb Keeper keeps herbs fresh, but you can rig your own device (photo courtesy Crate & Barrel).