Bagels in Japan

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Bagels in Japan
Another American food item that the Japanese like

By MYNIPPON.com Team

A small bagel manufacturer in Brooklyn, New York (USA) has reportedly started exporting bagels to Japan. Now folks in other parts of the world may think otherwise, but bagel shops in Brooklyn are convinced that no one makes bagels the way they do. Since the Japanese community has been growing in the New York Metropolitan area in recent years, they have spread out from their traditional habitat on the East side (an upscale neighborhood in Manhattan).

Now Japanese live in the suburbs too and that means they have no choice but to eat bagels for breakfast at least once in a while. This group of Japanese, especially their kids, when they go back to Japan have started looking out for bagels in Japan. At some point, enterprising coffee shop owners in Japan figured out that it would make sense to include bagels in their menu too. Thus, other than pizza and donuts, it is easy to find bagels too, at least in Tokyo.

For those of you who have no idea what bagels are, here is a brief history of bagels. Legend has it that in 1683 in Vienna, Austria, a local Jewish baker wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting his countrymen from Turkish invaders. He made a special hard roll in the shape of a riding stirrup-Bugel in German - commemorating the king's favorite pastime and giving the bagel its distinct shape.

Bagels eventually reached Russia, where they were sold on strings. Like other ring-shaped objects, they were said to bring good luck and possess magical powers. When the Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived in North America at the turn of the century, they brought the bagel with them. Many settled in Canada, giving cities like Toronto and Montreal their reputation for having superb bagels. The American bagel industry established formal roots in New York between 1910 and 1915.

Prepackaged bagels first became available in grocery stores in the 1950's. With the introduction of frozen bagels in the 1960's, consumers had access to bagels even if they didn't live near a bagel bakery. Bagel-making machines, a boon to commercial bakers, were also introduced in the early 1960's.

If you are looking for the kind of bagels that you find in Europe or North America, think again. Like curry, pizza, hamburgers, and all other non-Japanese foods, the Japanese have their own style of modifying the ingredients and flavor to enhance appeal to the Japanese. It is reported that some of these bagels have fruits that are generally not eaten elsewhere. MYNIPPON continues to be impressed by the degree of innovation in Japan and how easily and creatively the Japanese can modify a product to appeal to their taste. Isn't it also true that the Japanese are also the best marketers to other cultures? There is no country that does not enjoy Japanese product and hardly ever complains that the product is not designed for its needs. It would not be a surprise that within two years one could go anywhere in Japan and buy bagels as one can today buy American kohi (coffee) or hanbaga (hamburger). We wonder though how Japanese women can be so slim!