[WATCH] Explore the History and Culture Surrounding New York City's "Bagel Identity"

New York City obsesses over several different types of foods: Pizza, Hot Dogs, Ramen, Poké, Bagels, and countless more obsessions. The New York City Bagel is often called the best in the world, but how did it come to be that way? And how did we come to enjoy lox and schmear on them? In this video on the excellent Food/Groups series from our friends at Thrillist, learn all about the history and culture surrounding New York City's "bagel identity."

Like most New Yorkers -- natives, transplants, whomever -- we love bagels. We love bagels so much that we did a whole episode on them last season. But we didn't quite capture the essence of this city’s bagel identity. So we're calling for a do-over. On our season finale of Food/Groups, we take on New York City's bagels (again) and this time we're diving into the history of smoked salmon, or lox, which has become a key food item to the NYC bagel tradition.

Vintage Photograph Shows Washington Bridge Over Harlem River Circa 1900

Washington Bridge and speedway, New York ca. 1900
Washington Bridge and speedway, New York ca. 1900
Photo: LOC

This great vintage photograph from around 1900 shows the Washington Bridge—not the George Washington Bridge that opened in 1931— and the "speedway" underneath as it spans the Harlem River between Washington Heights in Manhattan and Morris Heights in The Bronx. Here is a Google StreetView of a view today from approximately the same vantage point, though it's tough to see as there is a newer bridge, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, directly in front of it.

Check out the specimen page on the Library of Congress Digital Archives for more info on the photograph.