Thursday, March 15, 2012

Shufersal's Big Pretzel Twists


בייגלה פרצל גדול שופרסל
I saw a Facebook coupon that was roaming the Hebrew coupon websites for a box of Shufersal brand Big Pretzel Twists. 
Pretzels are my salty snack of choice, of all pretzels available these days I most prefer jumbo salt pretzels (with flat pretzels coming in at a close second) so I was really curious to see how these Shufersal big pretzels compared to the Bagel Bagel jumbo ones I usually buy.

(Sorry the coupon is expired by now. I only found the product in my local Shufersal the day before the coupon expired and I didn’t have time to taste it and write a post about it before now)


The first thing that surprised me about these pretzels is that they come in a cardboard box and each 2 pretzels are individually packaged. On the one hand it’s nice to be able to “grab a snack pack and go” but on the other hand it’s kind of a waste of plastic, which makes for excessive packaging.

The next thing that surprised me was to see that these pretzels kind of look more like a takeoff on a “soft pretzel” and less like the Bagel Bagel twist jumbo pretzels, I referred to earlier. At 15 cm long they are quite a bit longer and thinner (about 1cm) than the regular jumbo pretzels from Bagel Bagel. These Shufersal pretzels are rounded on the top but have a flat base.

They tasted quite dry to me. I know it may sound odd to read that about a pretzel, because all pretzels are dry, but these seemed more dry than most pretzels.

Taste wise they somehow reminded me of water Challah. Maybe these pretzels have less eggs and more water than most pretzels I don’t know but something about them made me think of water Challah. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but alone, as a snack, I didn’t love that taste. If I was eating it with a dip or salad the hint of water Challah taste would not have bothered me as much. Problem is the shape and size of these Shufersal big pretzels don’t lend them self well to eat with a dip or salad.

There are big coarse-salt bits scattered along the pretzel, kind of like you would get on a Soft Hot Pretzel you may buy from a street cart vender in Manhattan, just another reason these pretzels reminded me of those soft pretzels. The salt bits add plenty of flavor. Many may think they make these pretzels too salty. I personally actually liked the saltiness.  

Bottom Line: These Shufersal Big Pretzel Twists didn’t end up being exactly what I expected them to be but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They are by no means awful. Shape wise they kind of looked like a takeoff on a soft pretzel. Taste wise they were too dry for me and I didn’t love the hint of “water challah taste” I picked up on. I will happily finish the box I have, the individual packaging makes for a convenient on the go snack pack, but I don’t think I will be repurchasing these pretzels in the future. For now I’ll stick to the jumbo pretzels I normally buy or one of the many flat pretzels I reviewed on this blog and enjoyed. 

Box of 5 pretzel packets–each 40 gram packet has 2 pretzels-8.99NIS (I bought it for 5.99NIS using a coupon that is now expired)   

Kosher Parve Rabbi Huchwald Germany approved by Chief Rabbinate Israel


Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me.  No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own

2 comments:

  1. They are probably packaged that way to protect them from cracking... Are they soft or crunchy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are crunchy like regular pretzels not soft/bread-like like the ones you buy from a street vender.
      Good point re: the box, since they are thinner than the other jumbo pretzels they can crack more easily, that is most likely why they are in a box - good point thanks!

      But even thought the individual wrapping is convenient why do they need to be in individual bags can't there be one big bag in the box to keep them fresh and still help prevent cracking?

      Thanks for your comment:)

      Delete