The bagel: one of lifes great things.

It is affordable, versatile, and above all else,

delicious. Some may ask, however, where did the humble bagel find its beginning? Was it truly
invented for the Polish king Jan Sobieski? Bagels have many origin stories, but most have their
basis in medieval Europe, particularly Poland.
The earliest story of the creation of the bagel comes from 13th century Poland. This is
when the prince allowed the handling and selling of bread by people of Jewish faith, a practice
that was previously banned due to the association between bread and the body of Christ.
Discrimination did not end there though, as the church forbade Christians from buying Jewish
bread, insinuating that it contained poison. Eventually, though, Jews were allowed to work with
bread that was boiled to destroy toxins, resulting in the well-known bagel, which is boiled prior
to baking.
Another story of the bagels birth dates to Poland as well, but has beginnings as a food for
nobles. It begins with German immigrants coming to Poland to help its economy with the added
man-power. These Germans brought with them the pretzel, which is said to have evolved into
round bread with a hole in the middle called obwarzanek. The bread, however, was not cheap as
it was made with wheat, a very expensive grain at the time. Seeing as the Polish commoner of
the time had a hard time affording even the cheap rye breads, the obwarzanek was mostly
reserved for the rich nobility. The bread gained popularity when Queen Jagwida, a notably
charitable and pious queen, chose the bread for Lent, using it to replace the richer breads and
pastries she ate regularly. Another notable story involving royalty is the invention for Polands
king Jan Sobieski. The story tells of a Viennese baker who wished to tribute the kings victory
over the invading Ottoman armies; taking inspiration from King Sobieskis love for horses, the
baker designed the bread in the shape of a stirrupknown in German as a beugel.

There are many possible pre-bagels in history, seeing as having a hole in the middle of a
roll of bread would be immensely convenient for transporting the bread on a stick or string. The
earliest possible candidate being round, holed breads seen in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Evidence supports the idea that there were two varieties of these breads from ancient Egypt and
the greater Mediterranean. The first is most similar to todays bagel, being soft and decorated
with sesame seeds. The second one of these pre-bagels is Syrias kaak, a crispy bread flavored
with fennel. The prime difference between these breads and todays bagel is they are not boiled
prior to baking.
Bagels have brought happiness and deliciousness into the lives of many since they gained
commercial popularity across the world. Their beginning may never be known for sure, but they
will always have a special place in the hearts of many people.

Works Cited
Nathan, Joan. "A Short History of the Bagel." Slate Magazine. John Alderman, 12 Nov. 2008.
Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
Weinzweig, Ari. "The Secret History of Bagels." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 26
Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.