Bagel
Sesame bagel | |
| Alternative names | Bajgiel, beigel, beygl |
|---|---|
| Type | Bread |
| Place of origin | Poland |
| Region or state | Europe, North America |
| Associated cuisine | Jewish, Polish, American, Canadian |
| Created by | Jewish communities of Poland |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Wheat dough |
| Variations | Montreal-style bagel, pizza bagel, bagel toast |
A bagel (Yiddish: בײגל, romanized: beygl; Polish: bajgiel [ˈbajɡʲɛl] ⓘ; also spelled beigel)[1] is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland.[2] Bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a torus or ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior.
Bagels are often topped with seeds baked on the outer crust—traditional choices include poppy and sesame seeds—or with salt grains. Different dough types include whole-grain and rye.[3][4] The basic roll-with-a-hole design, hundreds of years old, allows even cooking and baking of the dough; it also allows groups of bagels to be gathered on a string or dowel for handling, transportation, and retail display.[5][6]
The earliest known mention of a boiled-then-baked ring-shaped bread can be found in a 13th-century Syrian cookbook, where they are referred to as ka'ak.[7] Bagel-like bread known as obwarzanek was common earlier in Poland as seen in royal family accounts from 1394.[8] Bagels have been widely associated with Ashkenazi Jews since the 17th century; they were first mentioned in 1610 in Jewish community ordinances in Kraków, Poland.[2]
Bagels are now a popular bread product in North America and Poland, especially in cities with a large Jewish population.[2] Bagels are also sold (fresh or frozen, often in many flavors) in supermarkets.
- ^ "Definition: Beigel". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- ^ a b c Balinska, Maria (2008-11-03). The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14232-7. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ^ "Bagel". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Roden, Claudia (1996). The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ Nathan, Joan (12 November 2008). "A Short History of the Bagel: From ancient Egypt to Lender's". Slate. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "History of the Bagel: The Hole Story". Columbia University NYC24 New Media Workshop. Archived from the original on 2011-08-22. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Perry, Charles (2017). Scents and Flavours (A Bilingual Translation of a 13th Century Syrian Cookbook). NYU Press. pp. xxxiv, 189. ISBN 978-1479856282.
- ^ Dembińska, Maria (1999). Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812232240.