Imagine if I wrote a whole book about Montréal and didn't talk about...

Bagels!

You've heard of them as Montréal-style bagels, but here we just call them bagels. Always hand-made, boiled in honey water and then cooked in a wood-fired oven. Usually rolled in sesame seeds before making that trip to the oven, but there are other options, like poppy seed bagels and all-dressed bagels. I have tried New York style bagels a few times and while they are good, they don't bring a smile to my face like the ones here do. There's something magical about the dense, chewy and sweet dough. Time holds still when you bite into a freshly made bagel.

St-Viateur Bagel is hands-down the most popular shop down here. You will even find their bagels in supermarkets, groceries and even sometimes dépanneurs. Fairmount bagel is also very well known and loved. People often have a strong opinion on which is the best. I have a slight preference for St-Viateur, but I recommend you try both if you can!

Forget re-inventing the wheel. Someone at some point in history looked at bread coming out of the oven and said "cook it again!", thus creating toast. What a great thing to toast baked goods. The bagel is no exception. Get yourself a toasted bagel sandwich with cream cheese, smoked salmon, dill, red onions, and capers. Let me know if that's not one of the best things you've ever tasted. Or just slice the bagel in half, toast it and add butter. That's it. Pure bliss.