The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-04-29
THE RUSSIAN BAKERY.
Is Middle Street Very Interesting Place
Where You Meet People of all Nations,
and Where You Can Buy Is Pound Loaf
of Bread for Supper.

of Bread for Supper.
Portland is rapidly getting to be Co.'S
mopolitan, and to degree few people
comprehend. There is one very interest
ing place, the Russian bakery, where the
bread used by many families Of the
adopted citizens Of Portland, as well as
few of the old stock is baked. NJ.
Berman. is the proprietor, and his store
and bakery is at IS Middle street.
Looking in at the window one notices
that there are some odd shaped, but very
nice looking kinds of bread displayed.
There are great loaves Of white bread,
not the very white tor the proprietor
does not believe in taking the life out of
-four, but good and wholesome bread.
These loayes weigh about Is pounds, and
are sold by the pound. You may buy as
much or as little as you please, but most
of the customers, especially those with
families take the IS pound loaves.
Then there are loaves large and small
of pure rye meal, warranted to keep in
digestion at bay. Tt takes aboutl 5000
pounds of these two grades week to
supply the demands of the customers for
the staff of lite with which they were
familiar on the continent.
In addition the bakery supplies German
and Swedish breads, keeping the varie-
ties most in demand among people of the
two nationaIities. Then there is sort
of bread called "duntes" boiled in hot
hafa hot "a. thot
done forf" was asked of one of the three
bakers, and he replied ITO make it crisp
and good" "Good it certainly was and
crisp as well could be.
The following are the standard breads
baked there: Rye bread. rye loaf, black
bread. biscuits, (not of the regulation
sort but twisted and curled according to
the taste of the moulder, and sold for a
cent each) and cake very light and nice.
Eggs enters largely into the composition
of the cake made in 1.-The establishment.
The rye bread is sold for three cents
pound, and the small white loaves for
four cents each.
Then there is Russian su bstitute for
coffee, said to be very strong, and to
have nice flavor, that comes in long
rolls and is in great demand among
Russians. Then Russian must have
his tea for not even DR.. johnson him
self was more of confirmed tea drinker
than the average Russian. but he wants
real Russian tea, and there it is for him
put up in neat packages, and warranted
to be the real thing. 1t is sold at SIS
cents, so cents, ST., and $1.25 pound
and there is a. steady demand for it, the
best being called for. There is nothing
cheap or that is adulterated kept in
stock. The customers know what they
want and they get it.
Back OF the shop with it's odd shaped
packages marked in Russian and Hebrew
characters is the bakery where three
men are at work. OF course no work |
was in progress last Saturday, but the
Indications were many that there is |
brisk business carried on there on all |
other days of the week.
The place is very neatly kept. The
stock is bought in large lots and comes
to the baker. direct from special mill
near Boston. Sacks and barrels of -four,
and sacks of rye meal were all about |
The oven is not large, but will accom-
modate about 80 of the loaves weighing |
IS pounds each. The uttermost care is |
taken to keep the place in the best pos
sible condition. ave want everything |
we send out to be all right" said Mr.. |
Berman. The patrons of the bakery |
would be quick to detect the slightest |
falling off from the high grade of the |
bread made there, and it is kept always |
the same.
The cosmopolitan character of the place |
is well maintained by the three men who |
are employed there. B. Press, one of |
the bakers is Russian, and admits that |
he regards this country as great i'm
provement over the land of his birth. |
Himan Jacobs first saw light in the |
land of the Mikado, and prefers America |
to Japan, while Herman nehechter, was
born subject of his hot headed majesty |
William of Germany, and he too likes |
this country very much. He has to work |
hard. they'all do, and they are bright
active looking set of men. Mr.. Schech-
different times. and once had bakery
at Provi ence, r. I.
The customers who frequent this place
keep up the cosmopolitan reputation Of |
the esta blisbment. Germans and |
Swedes go there for their own particular
kinds of bread, while representatives of |
every continental nation and state are to
in the majority, but there are custom
ers of all nations and of all religions.
1t is a pleasant sight to watch the
people going in and out. A housewife
will dart in and out aagin in an instant
bearing with her big Is pound loaf OF
bread. Then child will come out stag
gering under weight of bread almost