The New York bagel is a matter of water, tradition and fierce loyalty. Boiled before baking, it emerges chewy inside and glossy outside — dense, never fluffy, and, to a purist, never toasted if it is fresh.
The order
The canonical choice is a plain or everything bagel with cream cheese and lox — cured salmon — topped with tomato, red onion and capers. Ask for it 'scooped' if you want the bready middle removed, though the old-timers will judge you. An egg-and-cheese on a bagel is the working city's breakfast on the move.
Bagel or appetizing
The great appetizing shops — Russ & Daughters chief among them — turn smoked fish into an art form, slicing sable, whitefish and nova to order. This is Jewish culinary heritage on the Lower East Side, older than most of the city's skyline.
The deli counterpart
For lunch, the Jewish deli takes over: pastrami on rye piled high, a half-sour pickle, matzo ball soup. Katz's on Houston Street is the theatrical original, but neighbourhood delis across the boroughs keep the tradition alive.
