Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Murray's Bagel

A bagels is a type of yeasted dough bread that was first introduced to this country in the 1880s by Jewish immigrants from Central Europe. It has an extraordinary chewy consistency, which makes it very different from other types of breads in the market. The chewy consistency is achieved by boiling the dough in water first before baking it in the oven.

New York City bagels are supposedly the best in the world because of the city's tap water in which they are boiled in. Or maybe it is because New Yorkers are snobbish about their food. Regardless of where they are made, bagels are usually eaten with cream cheese. For more special occasions, bagels are served with cream cheese topped with smoke salmon or lox.

This photo was taken inside Murray's Bagels on 8th Avenue and 22nd Street in Chelsea. It is a chain of bagel cafe that sells all types of bagels and its accoutrements like cream cheese, smoked salmon and whitefish, creamed herring, etc. Bagels are usually consumed at breakfast, with a cup of strong coffee.

So what do you normally eat for breakfast? What did you have for breakfast today?

19 comments:

Jilly said...

Oh Ming, I'm hungry! Send me a wholewheat bagel please...

My breakfast is a bowl of porridge - even tho I live in the land of croissants. Comfort food.

And later a very strong espresso.

Great post.

Great

Jilly said...

Sorry - typo - didn't mean to write 'great' twice - yet on reflection, why not?

~tanty~ said...

I used to eat cereal with milk or bread with cheese for breakfast :)

Dsole said...

I drink a hot cup of coffee and sometimes dunk into a brioche...

We used to eat french bread with every meal (lunch and dinner)..

alice said...

For me, it's NYC: someone in a hurry, walking in the street with in one hand a bagel, in the other hand a coffee...A tea with milk, some bread with butter and jam, orange juice (a true one, not from a bottle!), this is my breakfast.

AinZ said...

mmmm...I miss bagels...can't really find good ones here in Zurich...

Oya said...

I like all kind of bagels. We have some kind of bagels in Istanbul, it is made of yeast dhough as well, baked in the oven and covered all with sesame. Name is simit. Goes good with cream cheese and tea....

Olivier said...

Hummm j'adore les bagels. J'aime beaucoup la boutique 'H&H Bagels' sur broadway. je fais toujours un detour pour en deguster, ils sont tellement bon. Heureusement que l'on marche beaucoup à NYC pour perdre tout ce que l'on mange ;o)


Hummm I adore the bagels. I like much shop “H&H Bagels” on Broadway. I always make a turning to taste some, they are so good. Fortunately that one walks much with NYC to lose all that one eats; O)

Ming the Merciless said...

olivier - H&H Bagel is indeed very famous! And you are right about the walking in NYC. Basically, if you are a tourist in NYC, you can eat as much as you want because all the walking and sight-seeing will counteract the calories you consume.

:-)

Anonymous said...

I don't know... the french bakery if I can get there... yum.

isa said...

Ming, the NYC bagels are not "supposedly" the best - they are the best! I have not had a decent bagel since I left New York...

Today was a special occasion - I had a lovely frittata for breakfast, but typically it is cottage cheese or yoghurt with fruits and nuts.

angela said...

A bowl of cereal, milk, a piece of fruit and above all a cup of good, strong tea.
Sorry I'm not such a big fan of bagels but I've heard they're low in fat; goodfor diets then.
Angela

Q said...

BAGELS ARE MY FAVORITE. I eat them practically every morning with cream cheese and jam, sometimes with a cafe mocha from Starbucks. Or tea. Damn, I LOVE breakfast.

kuanyin333 said...

I lived in Manhattan for many years, and my daughter teethed on bagels and bialis. You can't get great bagals here in the Islands like you can in NY!

Unknown said...

hmmmm from your posting and the comments, you got to Fedex some NYC bagles over!

Blue Floppy Hat said...

Buttered toast and grapes...odd combination, I know, but I loved it.

Ming the Merciless said...

Thanks everyone for the responses. Ihave been taking NYC bagels for granted because they are everywhere. After reading your comments about how difficult it is to get good bagels elsewhere, I think I'm going to give them some respect.

JVOX said...

we love bagels! we bought our bagels from Raleys or Safeway bakeries or the pre-pack Saralee bagels are great too! We use the cream cheese topping or if anyone havent tried the homemade-cinnamon bagels, its yummy too, toast the plain bagels, spread some butter, sprinkle cinnamon powder and sugar on top

TCho said...

my normal breakfast is a soft boiled egg on top of toasted sourdough bread and a cup of coffee. but i also love breakfast tacos and fruit smoothies.