New York Bagels

All my life, I’ve never been into bagels. I’ve suspected that I don’t like the food item as a concept but have been self-conscious that maybe I’ve been eating poor bagels all along.

I’ve been waiting to go to New York City, to the mecca of bagels. There, I would finally be able to put this question to rest.

What is a bagel

A bagel is a bread product, made with yeast dough and shaped as a ring.

The dough are first boiled and then baked. This boiling process results in a dense, chewy dough because the crust is set and limits oven spring.

The interior dough is like a pretzel but the exterior is not as flavourful because the boiling water doesn’t contain lye.

The bagel has a hole that helps evenly cook. This hole is used to hang cooked bagels onto a rack.

New York

Bagels are associated with New York due to the large Jewish population there. There are tons of bakeries everywhere, churning fresh bagels all day.

When ordering, it’s recommended to order an “untoasted” bagel with “schmear”. A fresh bagel (out of the oven <2 hours) will still have a slight crisp. Not toasting preserves the contrasting textures of chewy interior to slightly crisp exterior.

“Schmear” is the cream cheese spread. It’s smear but pronounce with an accent. I don’t know if anyone actually pronounces it this way but it’s prevalent on many menus.

Did the New York Bagel Change My Mind

No.

I tried bagels at several places and ensured I followed the best practices, to avoid my preferences and biases. In the end, I feel that I don’t like the bagel on its own. The elements that others like about it can be had independently in other baked goods, such as english muffin and pretzels.

That’s not to say it wasn’t good, just that I didn’t get it. But there’s a whole city of people eating these daily, surely it resonates with some folks.