DeepSummary
The episode is a discussion about the history and cultural significance of bagels. It traces the origins of the bagel from a ring-shaped boiled bread mentioned in Poland in 1610, to its adoption and evolution within Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, and its eventual spread to America through Jewish immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The episode explores how the bagel transformed in America, becoming softer and larger due to the availability of high-gluten wheat and changing baking techniques. It also examines the rise of industrial bagel production through companies like Lenders, which made bagels more widely available but sacrificed quality for convenience and automation.
The episode delves into the science behind what makes a good bagel, emphasizing the importance of proper ingredients, long fermentation times, hand-shaping, and boiling before baking. It also discusses the cultural significance of bagels, their association with Jewish identity and traditions, and their eventual assimilation into mainstream American cuisine.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Bagels originated as a Jewish bread in Eastern Europe, likely descended from a German communion bread.
- The bagel transformed in America due to different wheat varieties and baking techniques, becoming softer and larger.
- Industrial bagel production by companies like Lenders made bagels widely available but sacrificed quality.
- A good bagel requires proper ingredients, long fermentation, hand-shaping, and boiling before baking.
- Bagels have cultural significance as a Jewish food that became assimilated into mainstream American cuisine.
- The circular shape of the bagel has been imbued with symbolic meanings across cultures.
- The texture and denseness of a bagel are essential to its appeal and enjoyment.
- The New York City water myth has been debunked; good bagels can be made anywhere with proper technique.
Top Episodes Quotes
- โWe think the bagel is today. The best way to understand this is to picture the hard pretzel. And the fact is, is that the original bagels were like pretzels.โ by Rabbi Jeff Marks
- โYou want to mix it long enough. That you get a nice, tall bagel. With a little bit of chew.โ by Maria Belinska
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Episode Information
Gastropod
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley
6/18/24
Today, itโs a breakfast staple, but, as recently as 1960,ย The New York Timesย had to define it for readersโas โan unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis.โ Thatโs right, this episode is all about the bagel, that shiny, ring-shaped, surprisingly dense bread that makes the perfect platform for cream cheese and lox. Where did it come from? Can you get a decent bagel outside New York City? And what does it have in common with the folding ping-pong table? Come get your hot, fresh bagel science and history here! (encore edition)
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