Port City Pretzels are prim and proper as pretzels go. They’re neither fat and doughy and bursting-at-the-seams, nor are they hard and stick-like. The standout bestseller is the Tasty Ranch Dill, with its pronounced buttermilk taste enhanced with garlic, dill, and parsley. There’s a soft crunch to them, all the while maintaining a signature pretzel taste.
Port City Pretzels are lower in salt content than many typical brands; 18 Tasty Ranch pretzels (they are smallish) contain 320 mg of sodium, about 15 percent of the recommended daily dose. There are now three additional flavors. The most recent, Tangy Mustard ‘N Honey, begs to go with a deli sandwich, and you can hold the mustard on that. There’s the Cinnamon Sugar, a sweet desert pretzel, if you will, and the loud and peppery (cayenne) Feisty Hot. All come in 4-, 8-, and 16-ounce sizes, priced from about $2.99 to $6.99. They are well-suited for Zoom snacking as they hide loud crunch sounds and don’t leave you dry-mouthed, although the Feisty Hot ones may require you to cool your palate.
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There’s a lot of New Hampshire pride at stake. The owner of the women-run company, Suzanne Foley, is quick to mention that her mother-in-law, Eileen Foley, was the longest-serving mayor in Portsmouth’s history. (It seems where there was good conversation, there were pretzels.) Eileen’s mother, Mary Dondero, was the first woman mayor of Portsmouth. Civic mindedness comes easily; the majority of the company’s employees have disabilities. Port City Pretzels sell at specialty food shops and grocery stores in Boston and beyond, as well as several local hospital cafes. Check PortCityPretzels.com for many of the locations.