Qu'est-ce qui définit la nouvelle génération de pizza à Montréal ?

Ask any Montrealer, and most can recall with fondness a pizza from their childhood: the hefty, all-dressed pizza at corner Greek diner, the late night slice downtown with spinach and sesame, or pizza at the BYOW place that serves giant, doughy pies with equally giant plates of pasta.

Since then, Montreal has undergone a long pizza renaissance. First were the wood-burning, Neapolitan-style pizzas, heralded by Bottega in the mid-2000s, reborn with the neo-Neapolitan sourdough pies at Elena starting in 2018. Then there were the roman pizzas, cut al taglio at San Gennaro, and later, the New York-style slices with lines out the door at Pizza Bouquet. In the last two years, a new wave of pizza shops have opened rapidly, and I sat down with six places to chat about what makes this a prime time for pizza in Montreal.

“Every detail counts, but patience is probably our most important ingredient.”

Dough and fermentation

At the core of pizza is the dough, with new pizza shops experimenting with flours and fermentation, taking the crust beyond a blank cardboard to something flavourful and deserving of attention. Some are using local flour, such as organic Agro-bio bread flour at Corner Pizza, or Milanaise sifted wheat at Pizzeria Crosta. Others are blending local flours with an Italian one, such as at Au Coin or Maps.

Next is the leavening agent, with a tangy sourdough being front and center at Au Coin, Crosta and Maps. Yeast is the choice for 5 Pizza and Corner Pizza, while Balagan uses a poolish starter. The dough is then left to rise for anywhere from 24 to 72 hours before baking in an electric or wood-fired oven. “Every detail counts, but patience is probably our most important ingredient,” says Alexis at Balagan.

Many of these new spots share similarities to New York Style: a big pie sold by the slice, with a crisp crust that you can fold in half and eat with one hand, like at 5 Pizza, Crosta, maps or Corner Pizza. Others are made to be enjoyed sitting down with a glass of natural wine, like on the terrasse at Au Coin. Still others shine with whole pies that will test your self-control not to steal a bite before sharing it with a group, like at Balagan.

“People’s appetite for really, really good pizza has become huge in the city.”

Is there such thing as a Montreal style?

With such a variety of styles, it’s hard to make an argument for something that is distinctly Montreal. For Josh Michael at Crosta, what is unique to the city is taking European techniques and putting local ingredients from Quebec front and center, especially in the toppings. For example, their nduja pie is inseparable from Calabrian tradition, but he gets his nduja and pepperoni from Boucherie La Petite Patrie, which works with local small producers. Chefs are also highlighting local dairy, including Louis Cyr cheese on the pizzas at Balagan, local stracciatella at Au Coin, and fresh buffalo mozzarella from Maciocia Farms at Corner Pizza.

Historically, pizza is a dish that lends itself to adaptation, having evolved continuously over the centuries, from a flatbread in ancient times, topped with whatever was on hand, until the colonization of the Americas brought tomatoes back to Europe. Modern pizza became a food of the masses in late 18th century Naples, where the working class people would buy a slice according to what they could afford. Because price was key, the ingredients were a constant reflection of what was available, in season, and affordable.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of pizza in Montreal is simply that it exists in situ, showcasing producers in Quebec, from grains to the dairy or vegetables. It also reflects the tastes of Montrealers and Italian-Canadian heritage, where there is always a pepperoni pie at almost any pizzeria, even alongside other pies with more unusual ingredients.

With social media, the pizza lexicon of Montrealers has expanded, making room for Neapolitan, Roman, New York, New Haven, Detroit, and everything in between. “Everyone loves pizza, but with social media, people’s appetite for really, really good pizza has become huge in the city,” observes Erik Hutt at Corner Pizza.

“Pizza is something that is of-the-people, that speaks to everyone, that reunites.”

“Everyone loves pizza, but with social media, people’s appetite for really, really good pizza has become huge in the city,” observes Erik Hutt at Corner Pizza.

From cucina povera to la cuisine des pauvres

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, and it’s no surprise then that pizza was recently noted as one of the most consumed dinner items in the province, according to the Quebec government’s NutriQuébec survey of food habits. As the middle class is increasingly squeezed by financial pressures, it might be part of why many are increasingly turning to pizza: at its origin, it is cucina povera, or la cuisine des pauvres, literally poverty food—a food for the masses, made to be quick, affordable, and filling. Even in the midst of an affordability crisis, eating out is still a core part of being a Montrealer in the city with the most restaurants per capita, and if we can’t have cake, then maybe we can still have pizza.

This is part of why Jon Block at 5 Pizza keeps their pies affordable, and their neighbourhood in Rosemont-Petite-Patrie has responded by adopting them into their daily routine, stopping by for a snack or a meal.

No matter the time of day, pizza has a way of pulling at nostalgic threads of memory, communicating comfort, a treat, and a filling meal all at once.

When Julien Navarro at Au Coin opened his restaurant, he wanted it to be a gathering place, and pizza was the perfect draw: “pizza is something that is of-the-people, that speaks to everyone, that reunites.”

Maps

On a quiet stretch of Villeray between Crémazie and Jarry metros, David Reilly and Percy Carrière opened maps, making New York-style pizzas that are popular with families and other locals in the area. Friends for over 15 years, they went to culinary school together and it became clear that they wanted to open a restaurant together and that pizza would be the focus. Here, sourdough is the main leavening agent with a bit of yeast for levity and crisp in the crust. “The reason we use sourdough is simply because it’s the flavour we enjoy the most in a dough, that’s it really,” explains Dave. Added to a blend of local flours (unbleached and untreated high gluten and whole wheat) with a tipo 0 flour from Italy, their dough ferments for 48 hours before being baked for 5-6 minutes in an electric oven at 650°F. The margherita and pepperoni are the best sellers, with the latter getting a healthy drizzle of spicy honey and fresh basil leaves. But the one people keep raving about is the potato pizza, with chunks of tender potato, shredded mozzarella, then garnished with fresh dill and ricotta salata. The interior is minimalist with tables for a solo meal or a group, and the menu is short and tidy, with a handful of pizzas, a few snacks and starters, a cocktail, natural wine, and beer from Wills.

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