[[File:Pieter Bruegel d. Ä. 066.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2|Pieter Brueghel, ''The Fight Between Carnival and Lent'' (1559).<br />How many pretzels can you find here? I got ten (my niece got twelve).]]
And because pretzels were made from the relatively expensive wheat flour, they were not only a lean product, but also a luxurious luxury one. Some of those who could afford them couldn't even wait until Lent and would start eating them already in the carnival. And so in some parts of Germany and the Low Countries has the pretzel become a traditional carnival treat. In many towns pretzels are given away during carnival parades. The Flemish town of Geraardsbergen is still known for its tradition of throwing little pretzel-shaped sugar-covered cookies called ''krakelingen'' into the crowd on the first Monday of March.<ref> {{Cyt
| tytuł = Intangible Cultural Heritage
| rozdział = Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand, end-of-winter bread and fire feast at Geraardsbergen