Did antisemitism forge the bagel we know and love?
For a humble circle of bread, the bagel is divisive. Even that statement would probably set someone off on a rant (bagels are not just circular bread!). People could go to war over whether gimmicky styles like chocolate chip or rainbow bagels are delicious or disgraceful. But everyone agrees that boiling the bagel, which creates the distinctive crust, is the defining trait, what makes a bagel a bagel. Recipes will often explain that boiling makes the glutens create a crust. But apparently, the boiling technique may actually have its origins in an antisemitic law that forbade Jews from baking....
Source: forward.com