The History of Bagels

Bagels originated in the Jewish communities of Poland. The earliest known mention of a boiled-then-baked ring-shaped bread can be found in a 13th-century Arabic cookbook, where they are referred to as ka'ak. Today, bagels are widely associated with Ashkenazi Jews from the 17th century; it was first mentioned in 1610 in Jewish community ordinances in Kraków, Poland. However, bagel-like bread known as obwarzanek was common earlier in Poland as seen in royal family accounts from 1394.