Montreal-style bagel facts for kids
Poppy seed (dark) and sesame seed (light) Montreal-style bagels
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| Type | Bagel |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Region or state | Montreal, Quebec |
| Main ingredients | Flour, malt, eggs, honey |
The Montreal-style bagel is a special kind of bagel made by hand and baked in a wood-fired oven. It's different from the New York-style bagel in a few ways. Montreal bagels are usually smaller, thinner, and a bit sweeter. They also have a bigger hole in the middle.
These bagels are made with malt, egg, and no salt. Before baking, they are boiled in water sweetened with honey. You can often find them with poppy seeds (dark) or sesame seeds (light). In some shops in Montreal, you can even watch them being made!
Contents
History of Montreal Bagels
Montreal bagels came to North America with Jewish immigrants from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe. These bakers brought their own special ways of making bagels.
There's a story about who first made bagels in Montreal. Many say it was Chaim (Hyman) Seligman. He started baking in the Lachine area. Later, he moved his bakery to a lane near Schwartz's Delicatessen in central Montreal. Seligman used to sell his bagels from a pushcart, then a horse and wagon, and even a taxi!
Seligman worked with Myer Lewkowicz and Jack Shlafman. Even though they later went their separate ways, they started two very famous bagel shops. Seligman and Lewkowicz opened the St. Viateur Bagel Shop in 1957. Jack Shlafman started Fairmount Bagel in 1919. Both of these shops are still making bagels today!
Where Montreal Bagels Are Found
Over time, many people from Montreal's Jewish community moved to other places. Because of this, Montreal-style bagel shops started opening in other Canadian cities. You can find them in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, and Whitehorse.
They have even spread to some cities in the United States, like Burlington, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle. For a long time, these bagels were not well-known in the northeastern U.S. This was because the New York City bagel was very popular there.
Did you know a Montreal-style bagel has even been to space? Gregory Chamitoff, who grew up in Montreal, took three bags of sesame bagels with him on a space mission!
How Montreal Bagels Are Made
Montreal-style bagels are made using a special method. It's similar to how other bagels are made, but with some key differences:
- The dough recipe includes egg and honey.
- Before baking, the bagels are boiled in water that also has honey in it. This gives them their unique sweet taste.
- The most important part is that real Montreal-style bagels are always baked in a wood-fired oven. This gives them a special smoky flavor and chewy texture.
Famous Bagel Shops in Montreal
Montreal has several famous bagel shops that make these authentic bagels. The two most well-known are:
- St-Viateur Bagel, located at 263 av. St-Viateur West.
- Fairmount Bagel, located at 74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest.
Both of these shops are very old and claim to be the first bagel shop in the city!
See also
In Spanish: Bagel de Montreal para niños
