the bagel has Ashkinazi roots, not Sephardic. i cut and pasted this from another website:
The first bagel rolled into the world in 1699 when a baker wanted to pay tribute to Jan Sobieski, the King of Poland. King Jan had just saved the people of Austria from an onslaught of Turkish invaders. The King was a great horseman, and the baker decided to shape the yeast dough into an uneven circle, resembling a stirrup. The Austrian word for "stirrup" is beugel.
lots of things taste good on a bagel, not just cream cheese. PBJ, Deli meats, sliced jalipeno. tho i have to admit that i haven't eaten any bagels in almost 2 years. i do miss them.