A bagel is a round bread roll with a hole in the middle, usually chewy and sometimes topped with seeds. It is often sliced and eaten with spreads like cream cheese.
From Yiddish “beygl,” from Middle High German “böugel,” meaning “ring” or “bracelet,” from “bouc,” a bend or bow. The name points to its circular, ring-like shape.
The word is basically calling your breakfast a little edible bracelet. Its journey through German and Yiddish into English also traces the paths of Jewish communities and their food traditions.
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