Bagels & Delis

No food is more tangled up with New York's self-image than the bagel, and no institution says more about the city than its delis and appetizing counters. This collection covers that world: how a proper bagel is made, what belongs on it, how to order at a busy counter, and why the deli case looks the way it does. We separate tradition from myth wherever the two have blurred — including the famous claims about New York's water — and we explain the actual craft: the boil, the malt, the slow cold proof. Expect practical guidance you can use at any good bagel shop or deli counter, in New York or far from it.