The Circular Journey of the Global Bagel

Few foods have traveled as far—or evolved as dramatically—as the bagel. First recorded in 17th-century Poland, this humble Jewish bread journeyed to North America, where it split into two iconic forms: the dense, wood-fired Montreal style and the softer, sandwich-ready New York classic. Once a niche ethnic staple, mass production transformed it into a global commodity worth billions, even as purists debate quality and unconventional flavors. In this episode, we trace how the bagel rose from immigrant tradition to international mainstay—and what its evolution reveals about food, identity, and commercialization.https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/01/14/how-bagels-conquered-the-world