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{{Short description|Bakery in Montreal, Quebec}}(File:Iconic Storefront Fairmount Bagel.png|thumb|270x270px|Fairmount Bagel Storefront In Montreal){{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}Fairmount Bagel is a Montreal-style bagel bakery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the Mile End neighbourhood of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. The first location opened on September 7, 1919WEB,montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/brownstein-montreals-fairmount-bagel-marks-100-year-milestone, Montreal’s Fairmount Bagel marks 100-year milestone, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard by Isadore Shlafman. The current location, on 74 Fairmount Avenue West was opened in 1949. Fairmount Bagel remains a family-run business.

History

Bagels in Montreal

Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, specifically Poland, introduced the Montreal bagel to North America. Originally, the “beugel” was a traditional gift, first, to the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, then more commonly to new mothers.WEB,www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montreal-bagels, Montreal Bagels, The Canadian Encyclopedia, September 4, 2019, From here, the bagel ended up being sold in the city streets of Russia and was called “bublik”. In the first half of the 20th century, after being brought to North America, these bagels were almost exclusively made and sold within the Montreal Jewish communities. In the 1970s, the Montreal bagel gained popularity on the other side of the Canadian border and were mass-produced to supply this demand.WEB,www.mtl.org/en/experience/the-famous-montreal-bagel, The famous Montréal bagel and everything you need to know., 2017-11-27, Tourisme Montréal, en-CA, 2019-03-30,

Fairmount Bakery

(File:Fairmount Bagel Bakery Products.png|thumb|300x300px|Part of the bakery’s production process)Fairmount Bagel was the first bagel bakery of its kind in Montreal.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Isadore Shlafman, known as Grandfather Isadore, moved from Russia to Canada, and opened the bakery – originally called the Montreal Bagel Bakery – in 1919 on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. In 1949, Isadore moved from the Saint-Laurent location to a cottage on Fairmount Avenue. The bakery was situated on the first floor and the family lived upstairs. The Shlafman family changed the name, to reflect the new location, to “The Original Fairmount Bagel Bakery”. Since the opening, Fairmount Bagel has remained a family-run business.WEB,fairmountbagel.com/about-us/, About Us, Fairmount Bagel, en-US, 2019-03-28, Grandfather Isadore passed the business down to his son Jack Shlafman, who then passed it to his son, Irwin Shlafman.WEB,montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/documentary-serves-up-a-slice-of-fairmount-bagels-story, Bagels in the Blood is now complete and available for bagel-fanciers everywhere to catch online – for free, Montreal Gazette, Brownstein, Bill, 2016-02-10, en, 2019-03-28,

Products

Montreal-style bagels are smaller, less chewy, and sweeter than the New York style bagel. The former is also made with honey and malt syrup. The process of making this baked good consists of hand-rolling and then submerging the bagel dough in boiling water for roughly 3 minutes, then baking it in a wood-fired oven for 20 minutes.WEB,www.seriouseats.com/2009/11/what-are-montreal-bagels-the-best-fairmount-vs-st-viateur-rivalry-canada.html, Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount, Eats, Serious, www.seriouseats.com, en, 2019-03-29, At Fairmount, sesame bagels make up 70 percent of their sales.WEB,www.seriouseats.com/2009/11/what-are-montreal-bagels-the-best-fairmount-vs-st-viateur-rivalry-canada.html, Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount, Eats, Serious, www.seriouseats.com, en, 2019-03-29, Nonetheless, the company has a range of fresh products. The store sells several “schmears”,WEB,www.mtl.org/en/experience/the-famous-montreal-bagel, The famous Montréal bagel and everything you need to know., 2017-11-27, Tourisme Montréal, en-CA, 2019-03-29, such as tubs of cream cheese, for customers to apply to their bagels.

Media and news

File:Fairmount Bagels In Space.png|thumb|350x350px|Greg Chamitoff and colleagues with Fairmount Bagels aboard the International Space StationInternational Space Station

Fairmount Bagels in space

In May 2008, Astronaut Greg Chamitoff, the nephew of the owner of the store, took products from Fairmount Bakery with him on a mission, STS-124, to the International Space Station.WEB,www.ctvnews.ca/montreal-born-astronaut-brings-bagels-into-space-1.299619, Montreal bagels taken into space {{!, CTV News|website=www.ctvnews.ca|date=June 2008|access-date=2019-03-30}}

Future of wood-fired ovens

There was concern that new environmental laws would lead to the outlawing of the wood-burning ovens that contribute to the character of the Montreal bagel. However, existing ovens have been grandfathered under the new legislation and are safe for now.WEB,montreal.eater.com/2018/12/5/18127589/plateau-mont-royal-wood-fire-oven-ban-exemption-bagels-chicken, The Plateau Will Protect Montreal’s Famed Bagel Stores Under Wood-Fired Oven Law, Forster, Tim, 2018-12-05, Eater Montreal, 2019-03-30,

Documentary about Fairmount Bagel

Filmmakers Jonathan Keijser, from Halifax, and Daniel Beresh, from Edmonton, who spent time in Montreal pursuing musical-theatre projects, created a documentary about Fairmount Bagel, “Bagels in the Blood”.WEB,montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/documentary-serves-up-a-slice-of-fairmount-bagels-story, Bagels in the Blood is now complete and available for bagel-fanciers everywhere to catch online – for free, Montreal Gazette, Brownstein, Bill, 2016-02-10, en, 2019-03-28,

See also

• Historic Jewish Quarter, Montreal
• List of Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants
• List of bakeries
• Schwartz’s
• Wilensky’s
• St-Viateur Bagel

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Fairmount Bagel

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