It's summer, at least in the northern hemisphere. Maybe you're taking off on vacation and thanks to our sponsor American Express, we've got the extra listening your road trip or plane ride or honestly just your regular commute requires.

This is an encore presentation of a stone cold classic gastropod episode, filling the whole between new episodes with the

history and science of bagels. Enjoy and we'll be back in a week.

What I found fascinating was that there are many other ring-shaped breads and there's

something I think about our human fascination with this shape which is to jump straight into the sort of more

grandiose is infinite right that it has no beginning it has no end it's like a

halo I have to admit that I've never thought about this food item like a halo. I'm seeing it in a whole new light.

I do sometimes wish it was infinite and had no end like when I'm having a particularly

delicious one fresh and hot from the oven with just a good smear of veggie cream cheese. Have you guessed what it is?

If Nicky's smear clue didn't tip you off,

we are indeed finally telling the story of the bagel.

This is something a lot of you have asked for and we are more than happy to oblige.

I never had a bagel till I came to the US from England for grad school.

But once I tried it, I fell in love.

I had it for breakfast every day while I was getting my masters.

Although it was an Einstein Brothers bagel which I now know not to be the world's

greatest example of the genre. And many of you listeners already know that I'm Jewish and I grew up outside D.C.

the kid of two New York Jews, so you can imagine that bagels have always been a critical part of my life, always. I, by the way way I'm Cynthia Graber. Oh yes and I'm

Nicola Twilly and this is Gastropod the podcast that looks at bagels and

indeed all food through the lens of science and history.

And we have some serious questions about this bread that has changed both our lives.

What is a bagel? Is it actually Jewish?

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