North Dumpling (Chinatown):
History of the dumpling (from history.com): From Italian ravioli, to Polish piroshky, to Chinese pot stickers, the humble dumpling is beloved by eaters around the world. Truly a universal food, you’d be hard pressed to find a cultural cuisine that doesn’t include dumplings in some form, be it stuffed or boiled. Ghanaians make fufu from pounded cassava flour, while Nepali diners enjoy momo and Brazilians eat empanadas. Dumplings are also an ancient food. Recipes for them appear in Roman texts, and it’s certain that Chinese dumplings are even older. This week Hungry History tackles the extensive, international and delicious history of the dumpling.
Just like bread, dumplings probably arose independently in several cuisines. And in all likelihood they were invented as a way to stretch a small amount of meat to feed more people. A pound of pork or beef might not be enough for a family of four, but mix it with some cabbage and onions and wrap it in dough and it’s a perfectly sufficient meal.
Kossar's Bialys (Kossar's Bialystoker Kuchen Bakery) located at 367 Grand Street (and Essex Street), on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City, is the oldest bialy bakery in the United States. The bialy gets its name from the "Bialystoker Kuchen" of Białystok, Poland (at the time under Russian occupation). Russian Jewish bakers who arrived in New York City in the late 19th century and early 20th century made an industry out of their recipe for the mainstay bread rolls baked in every household.
Russ & Daughters:
History (from Wikipedia) - Russ & Daughters opened in 1914. It is located at 179 East Houston Street, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. A family-operated store, it has been at the same location since 1914. Joel Russ, a Polish immigrant who arrived in Manhattan around 1905, started the business to cater to the Jewish immigrants settling in the Lower East Side of New York. He began by carrying Polish Mushrooms on his shoulders, and saved enough money to purchase a pushcart. He then expanded his operation and sold pickled herring as well as Polish Mushrooms. Then in 1914, Joel Russ opened J Russ International Appetizers, a storefront around the corner from the current location.
In 1920, Joel Russ opened his store at the current location of 179 East Houston Street. In 1933, he renamed the business "Russ and Daughters" after making his three daughters, Hattie, Anne, and Ida, partners in the store. Historically, businesses typically took on the name "and sons", but since Russ and his wife Bella only had daughters, his business became Russ & Daughters. However, Joel Russ was not a feminist ahead of his time. For him, getting his daughters into the business was not a matter of women's rights, but a matter of parnosa, or surviving to make a business. As he put it, he was concerned with Vi nempt men parnosa, meaning 'From where do we take our living.' According to Hattie, she and the other daughters had all worked in the store "since they were 8 years old" on weekends, fishing out the herring fillets from the pickle barrels. Once each one of them finished high school, they all worked full-time. Moreover, Joel Russ kept the store open seven days a week.
History of the Bagel - A bagel is a bread product originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, that is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked.
Today you can find bagels at chain restaurants and supermarkets around the world, and New York City is a big reason why. Jewish immigrants from Europe brought the doughnut-shaped breakfast breads to New York by the early 20th century. Part of the City's appetizing tradition, bagels are most properly enjoyed as part of a morning ritual with such accoutrements as cream cheese and lox. Signature properties: Unlike other cities' bagels, which may resemble standard rolls with holes in them, New York bagels are boiled and baked to achieve a shiny finish and chewy consistency. They're generally lightly sweetened with malt or honey. Some fanatics are convinced you can only make them with NYC water. (From nycgo.com).
Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery is a bakery and restaurant, located at 137 East Houston Street (between First Avenue and Second Avenue), in the Lower East Side, Manhattan, that has been selling knishes on the Lower East Side since 1890 from its original location on Houston Street. Yonah Schimmel was a Romanian immigrant who sold his wife's knishes in Coney Island in the 1890s.
Today, they still make a wonderful assortment of round knishes. Our favorites are sweet potato, jalapeno and they also have a sweet / savory blueberry cheese and chocolate cheese. This iconic spot serves other New York classics like the egg cream, kugels, and latkes. A dumbwaiter, one of the oldest left in the city, brings up freshly baked goods from the basement. Original tin ceiling also!
History of the knish - A knish is a Jewish Central and Eastern European snack food consisting of a filling covered with dough that is either baked, grilled, or deep fried. In most Central and Eastern European traditional versions, the filling is made entirely of mashed potato, ground meat, sauerkraut, onions, kasha (buckwheat groats), or cheese. Other varieties of fillings include sweet potatoes, black beans, fruit, broccoli, tofu, or spinach. Knishes may be round, rectangular, or square. They may be entirely covered in dough or some of the filling may peek out of the top. Sizes range from those that can be eaten in a single bite hors d'oeuvre to sandwich-sized.