This text is part of the special notebook pleasure
In Montreal, we heard mostly about the Chinese and Italian areas. However, although many know that there is a Portuguese quarter in the city, most of us could not say more. A short guided tour for a sure change of scenery!
Danny Pavlopoulos is half Greek and half Peruvian, but he knows the Portuguese neighborhood like the back of his hand. First because his Peruvian grandmother showed him several neighborhoods of Montreal on foot when he was a child, including this one. Secondly, because he co-founded, a few years ago, the Spade & Palacio group, which offers “non-tourist” tours in small groups, and which offers, the among other things, a tour focusing on the murals of the Portuguese quarter.
We meet on the Main to begin the journey to the neighborhood located between Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Urbain, which stretches from Avenue des Pins to Boulevard Saint-Joseph. “In the 1950s, the majority of Portuguese immigrants came from the Azores and Madeira Islands. There was an agreement between the governments: the islands had a labor shortage, and Quebec needed men to fill jobs in agriculture and construction. After that, there was a second wave of immigration after the Carnatic Revolution in 1974 and the fall of the dictatorship in Portugal. These events caused a tumultuous political effect,” explained our guide as we walked through Saint-Laurent.
While telling a piece of history, Danny Pavlopoulos points to a branch of Pharmaprix, “once a Jewish supermarket, Warshaw, where Portuguese chicken would have arrived in Montreal. And this, thanks to Portugal who made the owners sell his marinated chicken. Here, the history of the Jews and the history of the Portuguese are closely linked, affirms Danny Pavlopoulos. “Often, businesses belonging to Jews went to the Portuguese and vice versa. Their closeness is celebrated in the community. » Proof of what he says: a large mural by Leonard Cohen, of Jewish origin, at the corner of Napoléon and Saint-Dominique streets, made by Montreal Portuguese artist Kevin Ledo.
Taste of Portugal
Waves of immigration and the desire of the Portuguese to rediscover the taste of their country have left their mark on this community in Montreal. Close to what was in Warshaw, we see the Coco Rico rotisserie then the Jano. These two addresses offer Portuguese specialties: roast chicken, ribs, roast pork, Portuguese-style potatoes, chicken, pork, lamb sandwiches, sardines, grilled shrimp and squid, etc.
According to Danny Pavlopoulos, you shouldn’t hesitate to enter small local businesses either. At the bakery and grocery store Soares et Fils, he says you can find the best chorizo in town, and you can find delicious Azorean cheeses there. For its part, Segal’s grocery store is well known for its beautiful, inexpensive fruits and vegetables and for the salted and dried cod sold in the open space behind the store.
On Duluth Avenue, the Portuguese Café Central transports its customers immediately to the atmosphere of an old cafe from the land of Carnations. The small, dark place that refuses to follow fashions welcomes mostly men who enjoy the meal of the day with a glass of wine, beer or port. They come there to talk politics, watch football or play cards.
Back on Main, Casa Minhota serves “very good” specialities, says our guide. Clams, octopus, cod, sardines, squid, grilled chicken, pears in port and, of course, the famous surface, sweet egg tartlets that make up the star dessert of Portugal. But, according to Danny Pavlopoulos, if you want to taste these, Les Anges gourmet pastry shop is the best place to do that, because they melt in your mouth.
Very close to that, it is by crossing Rachel Street that we reach the heart of the Portuguese area, the guide specifies, pointing out the church of Santa Cruz, a community center of the same name as well as the Canadian Portuguese Association.
A little further north, at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Vallières, just after passing the Azores hardware store, whose window is decorated with items that resemble the country, we reach the Parc du Portugal. We admire azulejos, columns made of blue and white tiles like those found everywhere in Lisbon and Porto. Then, a large face with a picture of the popular fado singer Amália Rodrigues overlooks the park, as if her spirit were watching over it.
“Few people know it,” explained Danny Pavlopoulos before ending the tour, “but we owe the Portuguese for the colorful houses of the plateau. » From their native islands, they would have brought one of their local traditions back to Montreal, namely painting their homes. Result: a neighborhood full of the flavors and colors of these people from Europe.
To continue searching for this community or another in Montreal, Spade & Palace offers various group or private tours.
Thanks to Tourisme Montréal for organizing the trip.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, related to marketing. The writing is Duty he did not participate.
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2024-04-27 05:30:36
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