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- Bagels, Bagels, And MORE Bagels: NY Is The Place For Them
Summary
- The Everything Bagel with Scallion Cream Cheese is the ultimate favorite in New York, with its well-balanced saltiness and tangy cream cheese.
- Vegan cream cheese and gluten-free bagels are gaining popularity among conscious eaters, offering a cleaner and greener option.
- The Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Plain Cream Cheese is a surprising hit, perfect for those with a sweet tooth, while the Egg Bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese offers a unique and flavorful combination.
New York is a vast world of opportunities. Okay, it's a wide state of opportunities, and by opportunities, we mean food, specifically. And by food, even more specifically, we mean bagels. While it's commonly known that no one makes a better bacon, egg, and cheese than New York City, bagels are another crowning glory of the state. It has long been argued that these boiled bread rounds are unlike any other in the world, let alone in the country, and some say it's because of the water, while others will say it simply comes down to having the right recipe. Many states have tried, and while they can make a good bagel, none quite make a perfect bagel.
Therefore, there was no better group of people to turn to when it came down to bagels and their smears than New Yorkers. When going to the source, one must realize that bagels entail a number of combinations, not all of which will be appealing to everyone. Alternatively, some combinations are classics and must be had if the weekly cravings are any indication. Cream cheese is great, but what about lox? Is a bagel better when it's buttered and toasted? Where do flavored cream cheeses fit into the mix, if at all? Are egg bagels really that great?
UPDATE: 2023/11/02 15:55 EST BY NOAH STAATS
Bagels, Bagels, And MORE Bagels: NY Is The Place For Them
This article has been refreshed with two additional types of bagels New Yorkers love, including gluten-free and fully vegan options. In the modern day and age, more people are opting for a less is more approach: perhaps that's the new trend for New York!
Everything Bagel With Scallion Cream Cheese
Overwhelmingly, the everything bagel wins by a landslide. Not only is this voted (repeatedly) the greatest bagel ever created, but there's something about having it stuffed with scallion cream cheese that truly sends the whole thing home. The fresh brightness of the crunchy scallions inside slightly tangy cream cheese pairs perfectly with the well-balanced salt, texture, and savory taste of a traditional everything bagel.
- Everything and more: These bagels are one of the most popular and requested in New York.
Vegan Cream Cheese, Please
Another bagel that might be light on the person eating it is a vegan cream cheese option. Many New Yorkers prefer dairy-free cream cheese and bagels across the state, as it's a growing trend in conscious eating and food decision-making. That said, many bagels are made with butter or dairy, so if you're fully vegan, make sure and double-check with the person selling them.
- Vegan everything: Vegan cream cheese and bagels have become the rave in recent times for those after a cleaner, greener diet.
Gluten-Free Bagel
Although many New Yorkers prefer a good old-fashioned bagel, many people have moved to gluten-free diets in and around the metropolitan area. More often than not, gluten-free options will be for sale at delis and stores as more and more people crave them. As long as the cream cheese adheres to dietary restrictions, everything else on the bagel can stay the same. Minus gluten!
- Goodbye gluten: These bagels have become quite popular among those wanting to cut back on gluten for their diets.
Cinnamon Raisin With Plain Cream Cheese
It's true... As blasphemous as it sounds to be in New York and go straight for a cinnamon raisin bagel before anything else, it is an abundantly popular option, according to Reddit. While the cinnamon raisin flavor was previously restricted to things such as Thomas's English muffins and cinnamon raisin toast, it can also be found in bagel flavors. It goes without saying that cream cheese is the only logical option. Anything else is purely sinful in terms of bagel law.
- Sweet as always: These bagels are perfect for those with a sweet tooth and go well with cream cheese.
Egg Bagel With Veggie Cream Cheese
The egg bagels have long been regarded as the duds of the bagel world, with many people arguing that they barely have a flavor, if any at all. Alternatively, the egg everything bagels seem to be sold out the second-fastest in many New York delis... so go figure that out. Regardless, the egg bagel's neutral flavor allows it to play well with boldly-flavored cream cheeses such as veggie, which, overwhelmingly, is the most popular pairing with this lonely bagel.
- Eggy surprise: Egg bagels are a great alternative to regular ones and are second-best in many NYC delis.
Everything Bagel With Lox And Plain Cream Cheese
For the heavy hitters who truly respect bagel culture, an everything bagel is easily leveled up with lox and plain 'ol cream cheese. Lox adds a smoky and salty flavor to the bagel, then mellowed out and balanced with fluffy, plain cream cheese. The crispy and crunchy texture from the seeds on the everything bagel is a flawless balance for a flavorful breakfast.
- Salty flavoring: Salmon and capers make a great breakfast or lunch bagel idea.
Pumpernickel With Plain Cream Cheese And Lox
The alternative for those who don't like (or can't eat) an everything bagel is the old-fashioned pumpernickel. While it's not the most popular bagel on the rack, it is one that's tried and true and loved by many when it comes to pairing lox and cream cheese. Pumpernickel adds a savory flavor boost with hints of a strong, freshly baked bread profile.
- Perfect alternative: Many New Yorkers swear by pumpernickel versus everything bagels.
A Plain Bagel, Toasted, With Butter And Cream Cheese
It took some time to catch on, but as it turns out, combining butter and cream cheese isn't the worst thing to ever happen to the bagel world. In order to make this work, a plain bagel is an obvious choice, allowing both smears to shine through. When toasted, the melted butter functions as a barrier for the cream cheese, and together, both sing uniquely, albeit very different, ways.
- Extra fluffy: With this bagel, you also want to add butter to the spread.
Plain Bagel With Olive Cream Cheese
Surprisingly, olive cream cheese has far more of a following than many probably realize. If olive loaf from the nearest Italian bakery can be such a hit, then there's no reason why cream cheese with the same olives can't be. This cream cheese is tangy, slightly briny, and will definitely wake you up in the morning. Paired with a plain bagel, it's truly a win for the olive lovers of the world.
- Extra flavor: This bagel uses olive cream cheese to give it a more tangy and briny taste.
French Toast Bagel With Cream Cheese
Don't 'at' us for this one because we blame Reddit once again - it appears that the French toast bagel has caught on fairly well, and with it, the pairing of plain cream cheese. While some will argue that butter is the only way to eat this bagel after it's toasted, doing that is really no different than eating actual French toast with butter. Then again, that's also part of its allure - it's like having a portable French toast breakfast without the mess.
- Super sweet: This bagel uses French toast as the base
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