Bagel lovers rejoice as it is National Bagel Day.
The unofficial holiday pays homage to the dense and chewy bread product that dates back to the 16th century.
In Tampa, the top five flavors of grocery store bagels include plain, everything, cinnamon raisin, blueberry & onion, Thomas’ says.
The 10 most popular bagel toppings nationwide are cream cheese, butter, flavored cream cheese, cheese, jelly/jam, eggs, deli meat, margarine, peanut butter or other nut butter, and bacon.
Bagels
Ring shaped bread with a hole in it has been around in many cultures for hundreds of years but the current iteration of the bagel, a yeasted bread formed into a ring then boiled and baked, is thought to have originated in Poland.
Why is there a hole in the middle of bagels? Vendors threaded the hole-shaped bread onto dowels and hawked them on street corners.
In the early 1900s, bagel makers worked in teams of four. Two people would make the dough and shape the bagels, one boiled the bagels and the fourth baked them, Thomas’ said.
Fun Bagel Facts from holidayscalendar.com
- Bagels are always round
- Bagels are also known as beigels
- Bagels are boiled before they are baked
- The most popular bagel flavor is plain
- The second most popular bagel flavor is sesame
- The average person eats more than 11 bagels per year
- The name bagel comes from the German word “bougel,” a name which means bracelet