Poland: Bialys
Bialys are Polish rolls from the city of Bialystok that differ from bagels in that they’re not boiled before baking and lack a center hole. They feature a depression meant to hold caramelized onions and poppy seeds. The “proper” way to eat a bialy is not to slice it open (like a bagel) but to fill the center with butter or cream cheese and eat it like a savory, bread danish.
The bread originated in Bialystok and migrated to New York with Polish immigrants in the early 1900s. If you put them in a police line up for some kind of strange bakery-related crime, it’s not going to fit the witness’ description — because mine came out as domed little pillows of bread instead of the flat, indented shape they’re supposed to be.
Despite this aesthetic failure, they had good texture and taste. I then made a sandwich with one, which proved structurally unsound due to excessive height and slippery fillings. Some things are better left in their traditional form.