Confidence votes 37.0K. It is the Italian word meaning 'robbed'. It's an important element of a lot of music that is easy to hear, but more difficult to do well. Rubato means that there is a fluctuation in speed in the performance, some notes or phrases being played more quickly, and other notes or phrases less quickly.
As discussed above, pretzels are composed primarily of carbohydrate. In relation to calories, carbohydrates are relatively low in calories. Per gram, carbohydrates contain 4 calories, while fat contains 9. Therefore, since pretzels contain almost no fat, they end up being a relatively low calorie food.
The lye solution does at least two things for pretzels: It raises the pH of the pretzel's skin, which in turn makes the pretzel brown nicely as it bakes. Imparts that slightly bitter flavor. I don't think the salt used on pretzels is there to make up for a lack of salt in the dough. You can make pretzels that have plenty of flavor even without salt. I think the salt is there mainly because people like salt, because it adds a pleasing crunch, and because it's traditional -- it's part of what people (or at least Americans) expect from the pretzel experience.