How NYC Bagels Came To Be

Hey, this is David with Bright Trip

And this is where I went to high school. I would walk up the stairs every day

with my Taylor ham, mac and cheese on an everything bagel, toasted

Whenever I think about bagels, I think about this sandwich right here

Growing up in the Northeast, I've always been blessed to be surrounded by good bagels

So this got me thinking, what makes a bagel good? Why are the best bagels in New Jersey and New York

The bagel arrived in the United States in the late 19th century

with Jewish immigrants who came from Poland, many of which came into this country on these waters

through that island right behind me. Prior to this, the bagel already had been a staple of Polish cuisine in other Eastern European countries for hundreds of years

When the bagel arrived in New York, the impact was so strong that the International Bagel Bakers Union was formed

In the following decades, the bagel spread throughout regions surrounding New York because many of these Jewish families migrated outside of the city

Many of these immigrants also chose to make their way up north to Montreal which gave way to the Montreal bagel which is thinner it crispier and it has a bigger hole Then in the early 1960s bagels became mass

We're the family that makes these delicious bagels you find in your grocery freezer. So this was the point where bagels became commercialized

with the invention of Daniel Thompson's Thompson Bagel Machine. What a clever name, huh

This machine would eventually be making 4,800 bagels in an hour. So, besides not being mass-produced, what makes these bagels delicious and different than bagels from anywhere else

If you ask New Yorkers, they're going to tell you it's their tap water. 90% of the city's water supply comes from the Catskill, Delaware watershed, about 125 miles north of New York City

This water has low concentrations of calcium and magnesium, making it soft water

And while the minerals in water do have an effect on how the dough is made, plenty of people have debunked this theory

Basically, there's a lot more to a good bagel than just water. So, let's go over the elements of making a bagel

There are four basic ingredients to making bagel dough. Flour, salt, water, and yeast

And four basic steps to making the bagel. Rolling, boiling, proofing, and baking

Rolling is preferably done by hand but could also be done by a machine Quick side note here the basic roll with a whole design is hundreds of years old and has a functional purpose It allowed bakers to carry many bagels on one thread making transporting them and selling them much much easier

Once the bagels are shaped, they need to sit before being dunked in boiling water for about 60 seconds

Boiling the dough allows the outside crust to set before it goes into the oven

The longer it boils, the thicker and chewier the crust will be. This is also what gives bagels their golden color

After boiling, toppings are added, and then the bagels are ready for proofing

which really just means letting the bagels rise in their final form before baking

The New York-style bagel recipe includes a sweetener in the form of either barley malt or sugar

There's also an emphasis on using warm water when making the dough, and proofing the bagels for a few days minimum

There are many many ways of enjoying a bagel. Whether you're a spreads type of

person, you just like cream cheese like this, or you like to go for the classic bacon, egg, and cheese, which is very popular in these parts. Either way there

are two key elements to enjoying a good bagel. That's ratio and texture. Good

bagels have a crispy almost crunchy outside and remember that comes from the

boiling process And on the inside it fluffy and airy and this is important because it translates to chewability If you go the fillings route and you start stacking eggs and cheese and meats

then the ratio is actually much more dependent on the specific bagel shop that you get your sandwich from

This sandwich here is really good and has a great ratio because I could

fit the whole thing in my mouth and get like a really nice good bite

Good ratio and texture is what brings the whole bagel experience together. So next

time you're in New York or New Jersey, go to a bagel shop. Get a good bagel. Tell

them what type of ratio you want and enjoy that bagel because these bagels

were a gift from immigrants and they still continue to make our lives so much

better today. So what is your ideal ratio look like? What's your favorite bagel

Leave a comment below. Let us know and don't forget to check out brighttrip.com

We have a full course library that's going to help you travel smarter and make the most out of your experiences

Thanks for watching now. I got to find someone to give all these bagels to