On this day, in the year 1683, an army of Christian Europeans defeated the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Vienna. Then, according to one long-lasting legend, a local Jewish baker created a new delicacy—the bagel—as tribute to the Polish king, Jan Sobieski, who led the victorious European forces. The bagel took the shape of horse stirrups (beugal) to commemorate the victorious cavalry charge that delivered the city into European hands.
Ultimately, the sensational tale proved false. We now have records of bagels in Krakow from as early as 1610, while a similar-looking Polish bread, obwarzanek, dates back to 1394. However, the historical connection between bagels and Eastern European Jewry endures.
Bagels arrived in the United States along with Eastern European immigrants in the late 19th century, but for the most part remained a niche Jewish food until the 1970s, when ethnic foods gained a foothold in mainstream U.S. markets. Lender’s popularized the bagel for the masses by marketing its frozen bagels nationwide as “the Jewish English muffin.”
Today, bagels remain a welcome treat across the United States, including Los Angeles. As an East Coast native, I admit I’ve found it difficult to find a bagel to match those found in New York, but my local favorite remains the Bagel Broker, just off Fairfax, which offers a pleasant bagel and schmear in several varieties. However, we remain on the lookout for the best L.A. bagel, so if you have a favorite, please send us tips @stephenwisetemple on Instagram or @WiseLA on Twitter! Be sure to use our hashtag, #BestBageInLA.
—Rabbi Josh Knobel