I can't get enough of bagels. If I got to choose one thing that I could eat to my heart's content without any effect on my health or figure, I'd have to go with those chewy carb bombs. Growing up in Michigan, I thought I knew what qualified as a great bagel. Before I knew better, I'd happily scarf down one of the dry pucks from Dunkin Donuts and call it a day. But I'm older and wiser now.
When I moved to New York City a few years ago, I quickly discovered that its residents are particular about a lot of things: You don't order a pizza, you order a pie, one waits on line, not in line ... the list goes on. And a major area that any New Yorker will argue to the death is the superiority of their bagels over all others.
Though there's slight variability from deli to deli, New York–style bagels generally have a shiny and taught exterior that gives way to a pleasingly chewy inside. The dough is slightly sweet to the taste, yet yeasty enough to perfectly compliment the fluffy cream cheese—which you'll likely have 20 different varieties to choose from. Suddenly the bagels of my youth paled in comparison, and I was hooked.
But my journey of bagel discovery didn't end there. While preparing for a recent trip to Montreal I asked around to find out what I absolutely needed to eat during my time there. Schwartz' smoked meat sandwiches and gravy-smothered poutine were honorable mentions, but talk of bagels made me raise an eyebrow. "But, I can get those at home," I thought. I was assured by friends and even Uber drivers that Montreal-style bagels are a different breed, and are definitely worth trying.
I had to find out what all the fuss was about. I was deeply curious about how different Montreal-style and New York–style bagels could really be—New York and Quebec share a border, after all. Plus, deep down, I was thrilled by the prospect of pissing off born-and-bred New Yorkers by proclaiming that the Québecois version is superior. But in order to do a fair assessment, I decided to break down the bagels bit by bit.
Process
The variation between these bagels begins with how they're made. According to many, the secret behind a true New York bagel is NYC water—it's "softer" than the water in most cities, meaning that it has lower levels of calcium carbonates and magnesium. This supposedly keeps the bagels from becoming tough. NYC bagel shops also ferment their dough overnight in wooden containers, allowing the yeast to grow and create complex flavor compounds—something that Montreal shops skip. Both cities boil their bagels before baking them to achieve that chewy outside, but Montreal bagels take a dip in water that's sweetened with honey. When it's time for baking, New York bagels go into a conventional oven, while Montreal bagels crisp up on a wood-burning oven.
Appearance
The first notable difference here is size. New York bagels can be as large as your head, and usually get so puffy that the inner hole nearly closes up, while Montreal bagels are smaller and thinner, with a large hole in the center. The wood-fired baking process gives Montreal bagels a crispy bottom crust, while NYC's variety shouldn't have a bottom darker and harder than the rest of the bagel.
Texture
The outer textures of both bagels are fairly similar. The soft insides of New York bagels are pillowy and pleasingly chewy, but with your first bite of a Montreal bagel it's clear that the variety is much denser.
Taste
Montreal bagels have a noticeable sweet flavor, caused by boiling them in honeyed water. New York bagels taste strongly of yeast, with only slight sweetness.
Toppings
Any New York bagel shop offers at least 10 varieties, ranging from sourdough to French toast and even rainbow bagels. Montreal bakeries typically stick to simple flavors like plain, sesame, poppyseed and everything (or "fully dressed" as they call it). Montrealers prefer to eat their bagels plain and warm from the oven, though shops do sell Philadelphia cream cheese for dipping if you prefer. Meanwhile, if you're a New Yorker, you likely slice your bagel and smear it with an ungodly amount of cream cheese.
The verdict
I got my Montreal bagels from Boulangerie St-Viateur, one of the most buzzed-about bagel shops in Montreal. Much to the chagrin of many New Yorkers, I prefer my bagels toasted, but the bagels at St-Viateur solved that issue for me, with the crispy bottom providing the crunch that I crave. I tasted plain, cinnamon raisin and everything, which all had a pleasant flavor, slightly sweeter than New York bagels. The denseness of the bagels made them seem a bit dry and left me wanting cream cheese. I bought Philadelphia cream cheese at the shop to dip them in, but it didn't at all compare to the fluffy stuff that NYC delis spread on their bagels.
All in all, my opinion is that the yeasty flavor and soft-yet-chewy texture of New York bagels place them far above the Montreal variety. Looks like I can safely remain in New York City for the time being. That is until I tell you which shops are my favorite (Ess-a-Bagel and Tompkins Square Bagels in the East Village of Manhattan) ... then the locals will surely launch into a New York–style argument about how I've got it all wrong.
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