Bialy (bread)

Bialy, originally from the city of Białystok in Poland, is a traditional bread roll in Polish Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.

Overview

A chewy yeast roll bearing similarity to the bagel, the bialy has a diameter of up to 15 centimetres (6 in). Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking, a bialy is simply baked, and instead of a hole in the middle it has a depression. It is also usually covered with onion flakes. Before baking, the depression is sometimes filled with diced onion and other ingredients, such as garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.

Variations

The bialy was brought to the United States by Polish Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s, and became a staple of Jewish bakeries in the Northeastern United States. Bialys became a popular breakfast bread in New York City and its suburbs, especially among American Jews. Bialys are often made by bagel bakeries, but the bialy has failed to reach mainstream popularity. Preparing bialys in the traditional manner is time-consuming, so many bakeries now use dough mixers, as is common in bagel making. Bialys are considered an iconic New York City food, and can be difficult to find outside that area, but frozen bialys are sold under a number of brand names, such as Ray’s New York, in supermarkets across the US.

In popular culture

In 2000, former New York Times food writer Mimi Sheraton wrote a book dedicated to the bialy and its role as a symbol of the Jewish heritage of Białystok, entitled The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World.

See also

• Kossar's Bialys, the oldest bialy bakery in the United States
• Cebularz and pletzel, two similar breads
• Seattle-style hot dog, originally served with cream cheese on a bialy stick

Notes

References

External links

• Bialy recipe at Jewishfood-list.com