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A brief history of the bagel................

Bagels stand alone as the only bread that is boiled before it is baked, providing a chewiness not associated with other breads. Yeast dough is rolled and then shaped into rings, proven, then placed in boiling water for a few seconds and baked.

The origin of the bagel is up for debate, although it seems to have taken a foothold in Poland. The first mention occurs in Krakow, in 1610 in a list of community regulations that stipulate that bagels are to be given to pregnant women as presents. Others support the theory that an Austrian baker created a stirrup (or 'beugal') made out of dough to give to the King of Poland in 1683, in thanks for his help in defeating the Turks. Other German variations of the word are: 'beigel', meaning 'ring', and 'bugel', meaning bracelet.

When the Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived in North America at the turn of the 20th century, they brought the bagel with them. Many settled in Canada, giving cities like Toronto and Montreal their reputation for having superb bagels. The American bagel industry established formal roots in New York between 1910 and 1915 with the formation of Bagel Bakers Local #338. This exclusive group of 300 craftsmen with "bagels in their blood" limited its members to sons of its members.

Bagel makers' sons apprenticed for months to learn the trade. Men were paid by the piece and usually worked in teams of four. Two made the bagels, one baked, and a "kettleman" was in charge of boiling the bagels. The men earned 19 cents a box, and each box typically contained 64 bagels. It was not unusual for a team to make a hundred boxes a night.

Prepackaged bagels first became available in grocery stores in the 1950's. With the introduction of frozen bagels in the 1960's, consumers had access to bagels even if they didn't live near a bagel bakery.

Nowadays you can pick up bagels in almost every flavour imaginable, from strawberry and cream to chocolate or the staple favourites like poppy seed and wholemeal. Bagels are extremely low in fat and being a carbohydrate they release energy slowly through the day.