National Bagel and Lox Day
Today is National Bagel and Lox Day, centered on one of the most enduring deli combinations: a bagel layered with cream cheese and lox. I have always known this as Lox and Bagels and Cream Cheese. I do not know where it got reversed in the title for the “Day Of”. Also it appears on product labels as “Smoked Salmon”. I didn’t know Salmon smoked.
The word lox comes from the Yiddish laks, itself rooted in Scandinavian words for salmon. Long before refrigeration, salmon was cured with salt as a way to preserve it, resulting in the rich, silky fish that became a staple in Jewish deli culture after Eastern European immigrants arrived in the United States. Smoked and cured fish traveled well, kept reliably, and paired naturally with bread and dairy.
Over time, the bagel and lox became a deli favorite, especially in cities like New York, where appetizing shops specialized in cured fish, cream cheese, and bagels baked daily. It evolved into a familiar breakfast and brunch standard, still tied closely to tradition.
This is how those of us who love it would prefer it: a bagel, cream cheese spread thick, and lox stacked high. So that is how I made it. Red onion sliced thin on the side, but I will photograph that by itself.
You can see more food photographs in my Commercial Food Photography gallery here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
A Deli Icon for National Reuben Day and My St. Patrick’s Day Favorite
March 14 – National Reuben Sandwich Day
A true deli icon. My photograph of a Reuben sandwich—layered with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on crispy grilled rye. A sandwich with history, tracing its roots to early 20th-century America. Some say it was created in Omaha during a late-night poker game in the 1920s, while others credit Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York City. Either way, it’s been a staple for over a century.
And with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, this is my way to enjoy corned beef, instead of corned beef and cabbage, which I don’t like a lot!
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