New York City is famous for a lot of things, including a number of foods that people swear are the best in the world. New York-style pizza, pastrami sandwiches, cheesecake, and hot dogs from street vendors are some examples, but the one food that rules them all in the Big Apple just might be the humble bagel. Tourists from all over the world agree that there is something about New York City bagels that makes them special.
It's become widely believed that the secret to their superiority lies in the tap water that flows throughout the city that more than eight million people call home. The phenomenon is so well known that a company even developed a . Could something as simple as the water make that much of a difference in bagels made in New York than ones made in Omaha, for example? Scientifically, yes, the tap water in the city that never sleeps is different, but it likely plays a much smaller role in making a great bagel than what many believe.
Overall, the water helps the bagels achieve a wonderful flavor and texture, but the cooking technique is a much more important part of creating the best bagels in the world. There's something in the water The water supply in New York City comes mostly from the Hudson Valley area and the Catskill Mountains and is considered to be some of the finest drinking water in the nation. With low amounts of calcium and magnesium, the water is considered soft, and soft water doesn't develop the gluten in flour as much as hard water.
The resulting .