Meir Bagel's Flat Pretzels "Shtuchaleh"

Meir Bagel

I was wondering how long it would take the other pretzel companies, here in Israel, to try and copy Osem's Flat Pretzels. Sure enough last week I saw the first "copy cat" from Meir Bagels; a MUCH smaller local pretzel manufacturer.
Just like Osem, Meir Bagels now has two flat pretzels on the market Salt and Sesame. I much prefer salt pretzels so that’s the one I chose to taste.      

I have to say I was surprised it took "so long" to see a competitor come out with their version of a flat pretzel. Considering that Osem's were such a huge hit. For the first few months it seemed that no supermarket could keep Osem's Flat Pretzels on the shelves for very long. No matter how often the stores would restock the shelf every time I looked for them they were all sold out. It got to the point that Osem officially apologized to the public for not manufacturing the flat pretzels fast enough. Either the initial excitement calmed down and people are buying less Osem Flat Pretzels or maybe Osem got the production issues under control, because they never seem to be missing from the shelves these days.

מאיר בייגל - שטוחלה

Since I really loved Osem's Flat pretzels (and it was actually the very first item I reviewed for this blog :), I was very curious to taste Meir Bagels flat pretzels. I wanted to see if I can now enjoy flat pretzels at a MUCH more reasonable price. Osem's are 12.00 NIS for a 350 gram bag whereas Meir Bagel's are 8.99 NIS for the same size bag.

To me, the first noticeable difference was the size; Meir Bagels flat pretzels are slightly smaller than Osem's. I also thought they seemed a bit thicker than the Osem flat pretzel. The extra thickness was confirmed as soon as I tasted the Meir Bagels flat pretzels. It was in fact thicker and much crunchier.

All of Meir Bagel's Pretzels, that I've ever eaten, seem to taste quite different than Osem's pretzels. I guess they each have a unique recipe. I think Meir Bagel's pretzels always seem more dry to me, these flat pretzels are no exception. I would say between the thickness, the flavor and the extra dryness these Meir Bagel Flat Pretzel were much closer to a cracker than a pretzel.

Meir Bagels Flat Pretzels are baked and not fried. They have added fiber. They do not have any Trans fats, preservatives, cholesterol or artificial food coloring in them.

Bottom Line: I'm happy to see a smaller company, like Meir Bagels, trying to give Osem "a run for their money" with these flat pretzels.  I think for most people it will come down to a matter of taste and price. As a pretzel I prefer the taste and "thinness" of Osem's flat pretzel but as a cracker, to enjoy with a dip or salad, I think I'm gonna go with these new Meir Bagel's Flat Pretzels.    

350 gram bag – 8.99 NIS

Kosher Parve Badatz

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