Beagle vs. Bagel

Bagels 

The ubiquitous Bagel. From its non-Jewish roots, to its reign as a Jewish mainstay, to its acceptance throughout most of the world, the bagel is an icon in the world of bread and baked goods.

There are lots of stories about the origin of the bagel and its shape. Authors and Culinary Historians Gill Marks, Claudia Roden, and Joan Nathan have some great ones as do others.

One origin story says a baker in Vienna, Austria, accidentally invented the bagel in the late 17th century. Another gives Poland credit both in the 14th and 17th centuries! Still others credit 13th century China or 14th century Italy. I think these stories are probably based on the appearance of ring or torus shaped breads in these and other countries throughout history. I've found that the distinguishing characteristic for bagels is they are boiled or steamed before baking, whereas the other breads are simply baked. (Bagel connoisseurs insist it's the water that makes a New York bagel the best.)

My favorite bagel history starts in the 12th century, continues through several centuries and ends in the late 19th and early 20th in New York City.  A Church ban on Jewish bakeries in 12th Century Poland, forced Jews to work with bread that had been boiled. The first instance of "bagel" is in an early  17th century Yiddish writing. From there it was only a short leap to the early 20th century and the "modern day" bagel among European Jews and eventually it's appearance in America.

In the 1930s, eggs benedict, two halves of an English muffin topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce became popular. Obviously, Jewish people were unable to eat it, as it contained both pork and involved the mixing of dairy and meat (a violation of kashrut, Jewish dietary law). It's said that in NYC Jews developed the bagel with lox and a schmear as a kosher alternative.

As to the shape, my favorite story is that the hole allowed the bagel to cook evenly when boiled and to be handled easier by stacking on a long pole.

Today you'll find bagels in various sizes, flavors, and textures throughout the world. The only thing they have in common is the familiar shape. Everyone seems to have a favorite; mine is pumpernickel.