A Celebration of Life!
It was just over 300 years ago, in
1683, when the countries
of Europe were a target for expansion of the Turkish Empire. Over
140,000
Turks descended upon Vienna to overthrow Austria. The king of
Austria
sought
help from their neighbor and friend King John III Sobieski of Poland.
King
John agreed and with an army of only 74,000 succeeded in saving the
city
of Vienna. To celebrate the victory and to honor the Polish King John
III
Sobieski, a baker created a roll in the shape of a stirrup
commemorating
the military skills and horsemanship of the king. The roll was called a
Beugel,
which is German for stirrup.
The delicious Beugel, with its
unique character and calling,
soon spread throughout Central Europe - especially in Poland which had
a large Jewish population. As the people of Europe sought new
life and
freedom in America, they brought their ethnic traditions with them
including,
of course, the Beugel as a celebration of freedom. Soon, "Beugel"
bakeries began appearing in New York City and, as you'd expect, the
name
was shortly Americanized to Bagel.
So enjoy your Bagel - a tradition
of our forefathers - an
honor to the Polish King Sobieski - a rememberance of freedom . . . . A
Celebration of Life!
