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The Great Bagel Debate

by Lisa F. · July 16th, 2009

Montreal Style Bagels

Bagels. They’re delicious with butter and jam, as a vehicle for an egg sandwich, topped with cream cheese and lox, or filled with tuna or hummus. I love a good, fresh bagel for breakfast or lunch, so when traveling, I’m sure to check out the best options.

A few times this year I’ve had the opportunity to visit Montreal. Each time we made a trip to Fairmount Bagels, makers of the original Montreal-style bagels. Unlike the dense and chewy New York style bagels I grew up with, the Quebecois variety are lighter, smaller, and sweeter; they are also cooked in a wood fired oven, rather than boiled.

Throughout my years, many times when my family visited New York City, we made sure to pick up a dozen or two bagels. But now that I’ve tried Montreal bagels, I feel torn to choose a favorite.

To read more about Montreal bagels, check out this article.

Which do you prefer?

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16 Responses to “The Great Bagel Debate”

feygele Says:
July 16th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Montreal over NY, no question. However, I am a strict St-Viateur guy, not Fairmount. St-Viateur definitely makes a superior bagel to Fairmount’s.
Rhea Yablon Kennedy Says:
July 16th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Ah, I haven’t thought about Montreal bagels in years! Brings back memories of a Montreal contingent in my Jewish youth group. I was amazed when I visited and learned that what I knew as bagels in NY were just one blip in a universe of round, doughy delights.
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster Says:
July 16th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I grew up in Toronto in the 1980s and early ’90s, when the wave of transplants from Montreal had brought their bagels with them. Toronto bagels are different than both New York and Montreal, and I remember people would always make a big deal when they had brought Montreal bagels (even if made in Toronto). I don’t remember what differentiates Toronto bagels, because truthfully, I didn’t like bagels until I moved to New York. I assume I am less of a purist now and would enjoy all three kinds.
Haley Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I’m with feygele, St. Viateur all the way. But Fairmount and even Dad’s is head and shoulders above any other city’s bagels.
Heide Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I’ve never had these kooky-sounding Canadian bagels, but they sound criminal. NYC all the way!!!
Eric Says:
July 18th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I’m a born and bred New Yorker, but when I had my first Fairmount bagel
five years ago, I realized I had been cheated all these years. Montreal all the way!!
Lawrence Says:
July 19th, 2009 at 8:47 am
A bagel is briefly kettled, then baked. I’m sure the rolls with holes from Montréal taste good, but they’re not bagels!
Eric Schulmiller Says:
July 19th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Lawrence, if you read the very first paragraph of the article that Lisa linked to, you’ll see that Montreal bagels are indeed boiled prior to baking. And it seems a little odd (and maybe defensive?) to speak so disparagingly of something you’ve never even tried.

My uncle taught me a wonderful saying, originally from the AA manual: “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.” Herbert Spencer may not have been referring to Montreal bagels, but he might as well have been. :-)
Lawrence Says:
July 19th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Eric, I’m afraid my mental list of near-bagel items became a bit confused, and I offer my apologies there.

I’m not sure I did speak “disparagingly” of the subject at hand. I conceded that they might be worth eating, and insisted only that their composition (including egg, and weirdly excluding salt) did not seem to lend itself to the definition of the word “bagel” as I understand it.

The suggestion that my not having eaten one somehow affects the validity of my argument is curious. One may learn of the ingredient profile and preparation method of a doughnut, and based only on this intelligence argue correctly that doughnuts and bagels are two separate (if similarly shaped) foods. Whether the one positing the argument has ever eaten a doughnut or a bagel is entirely irrelevant to what is essentially a linguistic distinction blurred by a coincidence of topology: a doughnut is not a bagel, a bratwurst is not a frankfurter, a frisbee is not a pizza, and all is right with the world.

That said, I hope you’ll forgive what was meant to be a half-joking show of local pride. You should hear Southerners talk about barbecue some time. :)
Avigail Says:
July 20th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Where in NYC can I try a Montreal style bagel? Does anyone know of a place?
Susan Says:
July 20th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Only over bagels could there be such a fuss! I think I’ll have to plan a trip to Montreal just so I can weigh in . . . . or maybe we can sponsor a jcarrot bagel-off! Great comments and post.
feygele Says:
July 21st, 2009 at 10:56 am
Avigail, there’s a restaurant opening in Brooklyn called Mile End that will be flying Montreal bagels in daily. (They’ll also be serving poutine, smoked meat, and Quebecois beer, amongst other things.) The restaurant isn’t kosher, if that’s a concern, and certainly has a giant carbon footprint, but it’s an option.

http://www.blackbookmag.com/gu.....s/mile-end
Lawrence Says:
July 21st, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Is anyone making Montreal bagels in New York itself? That would offset some of the carbon issues. The only complication I would foresee is that I’m not sure what NYC regulations are regarding wood-burning ovens. (Most brick oven pizzerias in the city use either natural gas or coal.)
Avigail Says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Faygele – thanks for the tip! and in my own borough! I’ll have to check it out the one time. Funny enough, when I was living in Portland, Oregon people actually bought bagels shipped from New York City! Someday I’ll learn to (boil and) bake my own.
Denise Says:
July 29th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Eric and Lawrence, I enjoyed the elegance of your argument.
I never used to like Montreal bagels but they’ve grown on me.
One of our best bagels in Toronto is Gryfe’s. They started a kosher branch which was wonderful but sadly it closed and I heard the owner decamped to NYC. Don’t know if anyone has come across them there or if he drowned unnoticed in a competitive sea of good Jewish fare? Gryfe’s are so good you can eat them plain.
Steve Says:
August 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am
The best bagels in the world are at Goldberg’s New York Bagels in Baltimore, MD.