The New York–style bagel is the original style of bagel available in the United States, originating from New York City, that can trace its origins to the bagels made by Polish immigrants.
A traditional New York-style is typically larger and fatter than a mass-produced bagel, or a wood-fired Montreal-style bagel. They have also grown over time, from about in 1915 to in 2003.
New York–style bagels are the original bagel available in the United States, where it was popular as a filling, tasty, inexpensive treat for Jewish immigrants living in Manhattan in the 1800s. Beginning in the 1960s, the popularity of the New York–style bagel began to increase with the non-Jewish population of New York City and beyond. Over the decades the size of the New York–style bagel increased from around 3 ounces to the more commonly found 6 ounces sizes today.
Christopher Pugliese, owner of a popular bagel shop in the East Village attributes the New York–style bagel's signature taste to "100% the water". The use of New York City water in a bagel has been compared to the terroir of grape varietals used to make champagne.
Conversely, Peter Shelsky, co-owner of Shelsky's Brooklyn Bagels firmly believes that it is not the water. According to Mr. Shelsky, "New Jersey and Long Island, both are dotted with fantastic NY style bagels. Both New Jersey and Long Island have different water supplies, and that water has vastly different composition to that of New York City proper. A great bagel with the right texture can be made anywhere. It's not the water. It's the know-how." The use of New York tap water in the bagel-making process may not be the only reason for the difference in texture and flavor in a NY bagel compared to other styles of bagel, according to Josh Polack, owner of a bagel shop in Denver, Colorado which tries to mimic the water used in New York–style bagels: