Bagels may be one of the world’s greatest foods. However, many people do not how the delicious rolls came to be. In a hunt to find just how the world was graced with such an amazing discovery, I set out to find the truth. I started my journey by venturing to three of Eugene’s best bagel shops to ask the experts: Eugene’s bagel-ista’s. To my surprise, none of the bagel-loving workers could tell me the origin of the carb-filled treat. Alas, I went back to my apartment and consulted Google.
Bagels, just like many important things, have a rocky past. Many sources have speculated that bagels were first invented after the Battle of Vienna in 1683 to commemorate Poland’s King and his victory over the Turkish Ottoman Empire. We now know this idea to be incorrect. As Yiddish lexicographer Leo Rosten says in his book, “New Joys of Yiddish,” bagels were invented over six decades beforehand by the Jewish. The bagel was known to be a delicacy amongst the poor due to the fact that it was composed of white flower, as opposed to its normal black grained goods. The bagel was also seen as a symbol of luck due to its circular shape that was defined by the Greeks as, “the perfect form” due to its lack of beginning and end.
For these reasons, bagels were commonly served in Jewish homes during funerals and births to, “symbolize the ‘unending’ round process of life and the world,” says Rosten.
Rosten also says that the world “bagel” is derived from the German word “beugel” meaning “a loaf of bread.” However, another Yiddish scholar still claims the origin to be Yiddish, “beygn,” meaning, “to round.”
Although we may never find a meeting point on this highly important matter, there is still one thing we can all do to keep the peace for all bagel historians out there: eat more bagels. For this reason, I have compiled a three-stop list of the nearest bagel shops to the university’s campus to allow us to fill our bagel eating desire. The list is as follows:
1. Milky Way, located conveniently across from the DuckStore, provides students with an on-campus shop that is easy to stop by on breaks, according to employee Jean Jang. Natalie Maier, another Milky Way employee, suggests the breakfast bagel sandwich with sausage.
2. Humble Bagel, located on 24th and Hilyard, is also a close spot for those who live a few blocks off campus. Employee Dakota Haugen says that their bagels are better than those of other Eugene establishments and are “made with love.”
3. Bagel Sphere, located downtown on 8th and Willamette, is also a great shop to stop by when downtown.
Employee Crystal Clark says that they, “Boil (their) bagels so that they have the harder exterior shell rather than being super soft and chewy.”
Not matter how you cook it, it’s hard to disagree with Leo Rosten when he says, “If you’ve never tasted a bagel, I feel sorry for you.”