Read on for some interesting bits of bagel trivia:

• Boiled before baking. Some bagel bakers choose to steam the bagels instead to save time. However, at Bagels & More we respect the traditional way of preparing bagels by kettle boiling. This is what makes bagels soft, dense, chewy and doughy inside and crunchy and shiny outside.
• Bagels date as far back as 1683. Bagels are said to be created by an Austrian baker to honor King John III Sobieski of Poland after he protected the country from foreign invaders.
• The original shape of a bagel was like that of a stirrup to pay homage to the brave horseman.
• 'Beugal' is Austrian for stirrup. Hence the origin of the name 'bagel' for this special bread.
• The shape of the bagel has also evolved from oval to circular but the hole in the middle was to ease transportation for street vendors. They used to 'thread' a dowel through multiple bagels and sell them around town.
• Bagels arrived to New York with its immigrants in the early 1900's. However, they were already popular throughout Eastern Europe (and still are).
• A popular alternative to bread, bagels are easily found throughout the US, Canada, Australia, UK and of course Eastern Europe. In 2008, Canadian-born astronaut Gregory Chamitoff took 18 sesame bagels on the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station.
• Eventhough there are numerous varieties of sweet and savory bagels - 18 in total at Bagels & More, the number 1 flavor is plain, followed closely by sesame.
• Bagels are so popular in the US that February 11 is declared National Bagel Day.