The bagel people in New York are boiling madly and ready to throw some dough. The cause of their outrage? A recent New York Times article claimed that “the best pretzels are in California.”
“I am just angry. If California wants to go head to head with me, I’m ready, “said Scot Rossillo, a 55-year-old Brooklyn man who owns the Bagel Park Slope.
Rossillo says the bagel’s superiority over the Big Apple surpasses New York’s famous soft water, which lowers gluten and increases chewing.
“Water is important, but it can be mimicked all over the world,” Rossillo told The Post. “It comes down to the love we have for pretzels.”
Rossillo, who grew up behind Bake City Bagels in Gravesend, said he was the recipient of a training that “goes back at least 100 years. It’s not good fun; pretzels are my life. ”
California upstarts may throw their hat in the ring (crammed with carbs), but even West Coast residents don’t buy it, Manhattan traders in Zabar and Ess-a-Bagel said.
“Every day, we deliver hundreds of pretzels to California,” Melanie Frost, COO Ess-a-Bagel, whose aunt started the family-run business in 1976, told The Post. , are rolled by hand and baked daily on the premises.
“I can’t get close to a New York bagel – crack on the outside, chewable on the inside,” Frost added.
“California, stick to avocado toast. You know that best. “
Scott Goldshine, 60, a 43-year veteran of Zabar, also sees a westward migration of his goods: “We ship pretzels to LA, but we haven’t heard of LA baggage yet. to us. There’s nothing like a New York bagel. ”
While this is true, at least one bagel expert takes a more measured approach. He is happy to see knowledge and taste spread like a velvety cream cheese.
“I think the time has come,” said Adam Pomerantz, 53, the owner of Murray’s Bagrays and Leo’s Bagels. “For years, you couldn’t get a decent pretzel outside of New York. Looking at the pictures, they have a beautiful glow, a beautiful crust. I feel good. I think it will be nice for us New York Jews to be able to get quality pretzels – our food for the soul – out of town. ”
Does he think the Big Apple should give up his bagel crown?
“Certainly not,” Pomerantz said. “New York City and pretzels go together. There is a special experience of getting a pretzel in New York. ”
The line, after all, is deep. According to Maria Balinska’s “Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread”, our favorite salmon-and-schmear vessel emigrated from Germany to Poland as pretzels in the 14th century. Once there, they evolved into the centered approach of a modern bagel. Jews from Eastern Europe brought them to the lower part of Manhattan during the great migration of the 19th century.
“New York City and pretzels go together.”
While the rainbow and all sorts of pretzels are modern interpretations, the best are still hand-rolled into Bone Dough by the newest arrivals from our city. And maybe some of the magic comes from that.
“We have a community of immigrants after the next torchlight procession and taking over this esoteric ability,” said Peter Shelsky, 42, co-owner of Shelsky’s Brooklyn Bagels. “There were recent Filipino immigrants and then the Thai population. Now there are Mexican rolls. ”
Regarding the claim of superiority of the bagel on the Left Coast, Shelsky does not sweat: “A friend of mine from the Gulf area sent me a link and wrote:“ Do you see this? I replied, ‘LOL. Tauri – – t. ‘
“It simply came to our notice then. Now I recognize that one or two places [in California] could do a reasonable job. But, above all, it’s as if the Vatican is making a good matzo ball soup. ”
Shelsky’s business partner, Lewis Spada, 44, added: “Are you saying I’m holding the weight of a New York bagel? It’s ridiculous. “
– Additional reporting by Tamara Beckwith and Suzy Weiss