The first known mention of the bajgiel occurred in municipal records from Krakow, Poland in 1610. The Yiddish work beygal means "ring" or "bracelet". Brought to New York City by eastern European immigrants during the 19th century, bagels were sold both in bakeries and by street peddlers who carried them on strings. Available in a variety of types (sesame, onion, raisin, even the "everything" bagel with everything on top). They are now hugely popular — and not only in New York City. Some cannot imagine Sunday morning without them.

An early mobile food, pickles were an inexpensive snack to early tenemant dwellers on the Lower East Side of New York. They were especially popular among the eastern European Jewish immigrants who brought kosher pickels to New York. The pickles were made from cucumbers (originally obtained from Long Island and New Jersey) combined with garlic and spices, that were stored in brine for varying lengths of time. Shorter brining times resulted in the brighter green "half-sour", while "full sours" require longer brining.

Gennaro Lombardi, a grocer who immigrated from Naples, opened the first pizzeria in New York City in 1905. He used coal, a common heating fuel of the day, to heat his pizza oven and had a staff of pizza makers who went on to open their own pizzerias in New York — John Sasso (John's Pizzeria), Patsy Lancieri (Patsy's Pizzeria) and Anthony "Tontonno" Pero (Totonno's Pizzeria). These pizzerias, as well as Lombardi's Pizzeria, on Spring Street are still working establishments. Pizza styles and preferences vary throughout the world, but New York City is known for its thin crust pizza, pliable enough to be folded in half and eaten on the run.

The eastern Europeans brought recipes for cakes made with curd cheeses with them when they immigrated to New York in the 19th century. The variation that was developed in New York City used a new ingredient that was developed by an upstate dairy farmer who was trying to imitate French Neufchantel. Distributed by the A. L. Reynolds company, it was called "Philadelphia Brand cream cheese". The cream cheese and extra egg yolks give New York style cheesecake its distinctive flavor and texture.

Not a typical cookie, the black & white, is a cross between a cookie and a cake. The large, mound-like base is made with a stiff yellow cake batter. The fondant icing — half chocolate and half vanilla — gives the black and white its iconic look. Origin stories differ. Some say that the "half-moons" were developed by a baker in Utica, New York. Others say that the enterprising John and Justine Glaser brought the Bavarian recipe to New York City when they immigrated and opened their bakery in 1902.

The Roumanian-Jewish immigrants who settled in New York brought with them a recipe for seasoned and smoked goose. In America, however, beef was cheaper and easier to obtain than goose and became the starting point for the pastrami that we know today. Sussman Volk first sold pastrami in his New York City deli on Delancey Street in 1888 where he served it on rye bread.

Developed as a celery "tonic", Cel-Ray was first introduced in Brooklyn in 1868. The formula, with its distinctive celery-seed flavor, capitalized upon the 19th century health trend in celery as healing superfood. The FDA objected to its being called a tonic and the company changed its name to Cel-Ray soda. The drink was sold exclusively through delis through the 1980's.

The Delmonico brothers were scrupulous in attending to every detail of their restaurant. Named after the great restaurant in lower Manhattan, the steak first appeared on the Delmonico's menu around 1850. The cut of steak could be the boneless rib eye or other cuts. Currently, "Delmonico" refers to a top quality steak wherever you are.

The word "knish" has its origins in Ukrainian (knysh) and Polish (knysz). Eastern European Jewish immigrants brought the food with them to New York City in the late 19th century. The shape of the large dumpling-like knish can be round or square. They are traditionally filled with mashed potatoes or kasha (buckwheat groats). But variations are numerous including sweetened cheese, spinach, mushroom, and sauerkraut. Born in Roumania, Yonah Schmimmel intially sold his knishes from a pushcart. In 1910 he opened the first knish bakery in New York City on Houston Street, where it still exists today.

Brooklyn Brewery was established in 1984 by Steve Hindy and Tom Potters, who were neighbors in Park Slope. They helped revive the beer brewing industry in Brooklyn, which was home to 45 breweries at the turn of the 20th century. Since their first case of beer was delivered in 1988, the brewery has gained international recognition for its year-round, seasonal and specialty beers which are distributed to 25 states and 20 countries. Some of their beer is still brewed at their Williamsburg, Brooklyn brewery which is open to visitors.

Also known as Fulton Fish Market Clam Chowder and New York Clam Chowder, the title of "Manhattan Clam Chowder" first appeared in the 1934 cookbook Soups and Sauces by Virginia Elliott and Robert Jones. Heretical to New England clam chowder fans, it contains tomatoes instead of the usual milk/cream broth and a variety of vegetables for added flavor. The recipe has its roots in the soups brought to New England by the Portugese, but the Manhattan name has stuck.

Origin stories are plentiful about this fountain drink which contains neither eggs nor cream. The most common version cites that the drink was developed around 1910 by Jewish candy shop owner, Louis Auster. The drink became extremely popular at candy stores and luncheonettes in New York City. The classic chocolate version is made with Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer.

The Waldorf salad was first created by maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirsky in 1896 at the Waldorf hotel in New York City. The original recipe, published in Tschirsky's cookbook that same year did not include walnuts, and called for a "two apples/celery/and a good mayonnaise". A variation including walnuts became popular and it is this version that is commonly known as the Waldorf salad.

Dominique Ansel, a classically-trained pastry chef from Paris, introduced the cronut at his New York City bakery on May 10, 2013. A cross between a croissant and a donut, the pastry's laminated dough is fried in grapeseed oil, rolled in sugar, filled with cream, and topped with a glaze. The filling recipe changes every month. The pastry, which is trademarked, created a world-wide sensation with imitators abounding. One can only obtain a real cronut, however, from the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho, New York.

Eggs Benedict is another popular dish with conflicting origin stories. Eggs à la Benedick is documented as far back as 1894. It appeared in The Epicurean, the cookbook by Charles Ranhofer, chef at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City. The simple recipe reads: "Cut some muffins in halves crosswise, toast them without allowing to brown, then place a round of cooked ham an eighth of an inch thick and the same diameter as the muffins on each half. Heat in a moderate oven and put a poached egg on each toast. Cover the whole with hollandaise sauce."

In a story he wrote in the 1880s, William F. Mulhall stated that “The Manhattan cocktail was invented by a man named Black, who kept a place ten doors below Houston Street on Broadway in the 1860s.” It is a classic cocktail that is a combination whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail glass, and garnished with a cherry. The Manhattan of the 1800s ia remarkably similar to the Manhattan that we know today. Even probition could not kill it. The rye whiskey was simply swapped out for Canadian whiskey which was easier to obtain.