The Lowly Bagel

When we first moved to Kauai in 1974, they were horrid frozen things — bagels  in shape only.  Over the past few decades, they have become derigeur and have invaded all milieus.  An interesting book was published recently. “The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread,” by Yale University Press, and it was featured in a NY Times article.

“For Maria Balinska, it was never just bagels and yuks. “People used to laugh at me when I told them I was writing a book about bagels,” she said. “I’d tell them it was actually quite serious.”

The book, thought-provoking and fact-filled, is one that also uses the bagel as a way of viewing Polish-Jewish history. It begins with an unexpected look at a boiled, baked and ring-shaped possible ancestor in southern Italy and a steamed and baked possible predecessor found among the Muslim Uighurs in northwestern China. The book moves on to Poland, the Jewish bagel’s probable birthplace, and the bagel’s older and similar Christian relative, the obwarzanek.  NYT article.

If a book about bagels is a hit, can a tome on malasadas be far behind?

Posted by Kawika Phantasmist