Montréal-style Bagels
- Annemarie Bolduc
- Oct 8, 2021
- 3 min read
Discover what makes Montréal bagels so special!
Having lived fifteen years of my adult life in Montréal, I sometimes miss the city's vibrant food scene and the iconic foods available at almost any hour of the day. Montréal is a multicultural city shaped by generations of immigrants who brought their culinary traditions, creating the unique gastronomic identity for which the city is known today. Jewish communities have had a particularly strong influence, introducing foods such as smoked meat and bagels. Traditional bagel bakeries were established in the early twentieth century by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. The famous Fairmount Bagels and St-Viateur Bagels, founded in the middle of the century, are still handcrafting traditional bagels today. New York City is equally renowned for its bagel and delicatessen culture, and friendly debates about which city makes the better bagel continue to this day.
Homemade bagels topped with sesame and poppy seeds © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021
Both New York-style and Montréal-style bagels are hand-rolled, wheel-shaped breads made from similar dough ingredients, although Montréal bagels traditionally contain eggs. Both styles are poached before baking, but the ingredients added to the boiling water give them their distinctive flavours and textures. New York bagels are typically boiled with malt syrup and salt, while Montréal bagels are boiled in water sweetened with honey and then baked in a wood-fired oven. This traditional process creates their golden colour, dense and chewy texture, glossy crust and subtly sweet flavour. From what I have seen, New York bagels tend to be larger, fluffier and more uniformly shaped, while Montréal bagels are thinner, denser and have a larger hole in the centre. They are often slightly imperfect in shape, but that's part of their charm. Both styles are traditionally topped with generous amounts of sesame or poppy seeds.
Montreal's St-Viateur Bagels fresh from the shop © Carole Vallée 2021
In Montréal, some bagel bakeries stay open late into the night, making it possible to enjoy a warm bagel fresh from the oven after an evening out. Bagels are also widely available in Québec supermarkets and come in countless varieties, from the classic sesame and poppy seed versions to flavours such as garlic, cheese, cinnamon or blueberry. Most breakfast cafés and restaurants serve them with cream cheese or as sandwiches. A classic Montréal combination is cream cheese and smoked salmon, often accompanied by onions, tomatoes and capers. They are equally delicious with local smoked trout, eggs, jams, pickles, artisan cheeses or cured meats. Bagels can even be sliced, seasoned and baked into crispy chips. There are no rules for eating them—you can enjoy a bagel for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or a late-night snack.
Enjoying some bagels in many ways © Bottle and Brush Studio 2020-21
Now living in regional Australia, I've struggled to find authentic Montréal-style bagels locally. While some larger supermarkets stock commercial versions, they are never quite the same. A few years ago, during a visit to Melbourne, we enjoyed a bagel sandwich at Mile End Bagels, Australia's first wood-fired bagelry inspired by Montréal. I was thrilled. For years, I had thought about making bagels at home, but it wasn't until the pandemic lockdowns that I finally gave it a try. I don't know why I waited so long—they are so good! Since then, I've made them many times using eggs from my backyard chooks and local honey. My adapted recipe, inspired by the traditional Montréal method, is available in my cookbook Québec Kitchen Abroad, but you can read more about the story behind it here.
