Bagel

A bagel is a ring-shaped bread roll that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland, made from a yeasted wheat dough that is hand-shaped into a ring and briefly boiled in water before being baked, producing a dense, chewy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. It is often topped with poppy or sesame seeds, or with coarse salt. Bagels have been associated with Ashkenazi Jewish communities since at least the 17th century, and the earliest documented reference to the bread appears in 1610, in community regulations recorded in Krakow, Poland. Today bagels remain popular in North America and Poland, particularly in cities with large Jewish populations, and are sold widely in fresh and frozen forms.