Fairmount Bagel facts for kids
Fairmount Bagel is a famous bakery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's located in the Mile End part of the Plateau-Mont-Royal area. The bakery first opened its doors on September 7, 1919. It was started by Isadore Shlafman on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. The bakery moved to its current spot at 74 Fairmount Avenue West in 1949. Fairmount Bagel is still run by the same family today.
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History
Bagels in Montreal
Bagels came to North America thanks to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Originally, a "beugel" was a special gift, sometimes given to the King of Poland. Later, it became a common gift for new mothers. These round breads were then sold on the streets of Russia and called "bublik".
In the early 1900s, after arriving in North America, bagels were mostly made and sold within the Jewish communities in Montreal. By the 1970s, Montreal bagels became very popular. They were even made in large amounts to meet the demand across the Canadian border.
Fairmount Bakery
Fairmount Bagel was the very first bagel bakery of its kind in Montreal. Isadore Shlafman, who people called Grandfather Isadore, moved from Russia to Canada. He opened his bakery, first named the Montreal Bagel Bakery, in 1919. It was located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
In 1949, Isadore moved the bakery to a small house on Fairmount Avenue. The bakery was on the first floor, and the Shlafman family lived upstairs. They changed the bakery's name to "The Original Fairmount Bagel Bakery" to match its new home. Since then, Fairmount Bagel has always been a family business. Grandfather Isadore passed the bakery to his son, Jack Shlafman. Jack then passed it down to his son, Irwin Shlafman.
Products
Montreal-style bagels are different from New York bagels. They are usually smaller, a bit sweeter, and not as chewy. Montreal bagels are also made with honey and malt syrup.
The process to make these delicious bagels is special. First, the dough is rolled by hand. Then, the bagels are put into boiling water for about 3 minutes. After that, they are baked in a wood-fired oven for 20 minutes.
At Fairmount Bagel, sesame bagels are the most popular, making up 70 percent of their sales. But they also offer many other fresh products. The store sells different "schmears," like tubs of cream cheese, for customers to put on their bagels.
Media and news
Fairmount Bagels in space
In May 2008, astronaut Greg Chamitoff took some Fairmount Bagels with him into space! Greg Chamitoff is the nephew of the bakery's owner. He brought the bagels on his mission, STS-124, to the International Space Station.
Future of wood-fired ovens
For a while, people worried that new environmental rules might stop bakeries from using their special wood-burning ovens. These ovens are very important for making Montreal bagels taste unique. Luckily, the existing ovens were allowed to continue operating under the new rules. So, the traditional way of baking bagels is safe for now.
Documentary about Fairmount Bagel
Filmmakers Jonathan Keijser and Daniel Beresh made a documentary about Fairmount Bagel. It's called "Bagels in the Blood." Jonathan is from Halifax, and Daniel is from Edmonton. They both spent time in Montreal working on musical-theatre projects.
See also
- Historic Jewish Quarter, Montreal
- List of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants
- List of bakeries
- Schwartz's
- Wilensky's
- St-Viateur Bagel
