Bialys 101, or Why I Live in New York

I found myself explaining the difference between a bagel and a bialy to two acquaintances recently -- one imported from Indiana, the other from Massachusetts -- and realized that unless you grew up in the New York metro area with a significant population of large noses, you likely have been deprived of this rare and delicate baked good. Allow me to school you goyim fools.

First, let's get the pronunciation down. It's bee-YAWL-ee, not bile-y. Gross.

<---- Yum!

There are three primary differences between the bagel and the bialy:

1. A bagel (by which I do not mean a Lender's "bagel") is boiled then baked, whereas a bialy is only baked. This results in a softer, less chewy product, without a crispy exterior. It also affects the shelf-life, which is why they haven't had much national success; us white-and-blue-bloods can't ship 'em out across the country.
2. A bialy is typically smaller and flatter than a bagel.
3. Rather than a hole through the center, bialys have a depression filled with onions (always) and poppy seeds (sometimes). Once in awhile they throw in a negligble amount of garlic, too.

If you have access to New York, a good place to start is Kossar's on the Lower East Side. But even my neighborhood bodega, owned by Pakistanis and run by Mexicans, offers a decent one. Just don't eat the crap at Brooklyn Bread. I swear to God it's just a slice of Italian bread with a dent in the middle.

I recommend eating them as you would a proper bagel -- toasted with a schmear of whipped cream cheese (give me that Philadelphia crap and I'll give you a smack across the face), a little nova (that's smoked salmon with a milder brine than lox), a slice of red onion, perhaps a slice of tomato and a few capers. Half-sour pickles, another New York Jewish deli delicacy, are a requisite side dish.

If you're as geeky as I am, you can also add The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World to your Hannukah list. And, if you're as cheap as I am, you can resort to reading about it on Wikipedia until latke season.