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　　Sweet, salty, rich or light—no matter the taste, there's a bagel to match it. Once relegated1 to the breakfast table, bagels are now served at any time of the day and in more flavors than you can shake a stick at.2

　　In its basic form, a bagel consists of flour, water, salt and yeast. It's twisted into a donut shape, and is the only bread product that is boiled in water before it's baked. This creates its characteristic hard, glazed crust and chewy interior.

　　The origin of the bagel is something of a mystery, but it probably dates back to 1683. According to legend, a Jewish baker in Vienna, Austria wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting his countrymen from Turkish invaders. He baked him a special hard roll shaped as a stirrup3 (bugel in German) in celebration of the king's favorite pastime.

　　Two centuries later, courtesy of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, bagels hit American shores. There, the art of making bagels became a closely guarded secret as the Bagel Bakers' Union only admitted sons of its members as apprentices. However, as the bagel's popularity grew, the secret diminished.4 Today, bagels can be found anywhere, from supermarkets to coffee shops, around the world.