National Bagel Day

February 9 is National Bagel Day. It's hard to pinpoint the bagel's origin, but the first mention of one came in 1610 in the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland. The word comes from a Yiddish word, "beygal," spelled "beigel" in Poland. 

The same design of the large round roll with a hole in the middle has been around for several hundred years. The plain bagel has remained a favorite, but there's many different flavors, such as cinnamon raisin, onion, garlic, poppy or sesame seed, chocolate, and blueberry. Toppings are also popular, such as cream cheese or jelly. Of course, different cultures have their favorites, and bagels can be used like sandwich rolls.

Bagels became popular in North America, first in cities with large Jewish populations, like New York, and then spreading. Today bagels are big business. In 2014, sales for fresh bagels amounted to around 125 billion dollars in the United States. Then, there's also refrigerated and frozen bagels. So, let's celebrate National Bagel Day with a favorite bagel for breakfast or a snack. 

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