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Québec is passionate about its food. This mania probably comes from the province's French roots. By now, numerous other immigrant communities have also made their mark on the culinary landscape, evidenced by the dazzling array of restaurants in both cities and the large inventory of exotic ingredients available from Montréal's independent grocers.
However, Québec produces many delicacies of its own, from cheeses and berries to seafood and game. This bountiful land is filled with different specialty ingredients that you'll want to fill up on during your stay — if you're adventurous.
Instead of having to trek out into the woods and fetch dinner yourself (the way it was done around here until not so long ago), Québec has an increasing number of restaurants specializing in cooking with local ingredients. Some of them call this type of menu "market cuisine." Going to the markets yourself is another way to get your hands on, and mouth around, Québec's terroir. Buying locally is an often-overlooked part of the eating-organic and "slow-food" activism.
Maple syrup
Although many in Québec don't care much for the maple leaf on the Canadian flag as a national symbol, this province is the world capital of maple syrup production. Ironic, eh? During the great spring thaw, sap flows in the maple trees, which sugar bush farmers tap and boil down into this liquid gold. There are sugar bushes all over Québec, but the maples are thickest in the region of Montérégie, southeast of Montréal. In March and April, packs of urbanites trek to sugar shacks for a traditional maple-syrup-bathed feast. It's a rite of spring known as "sugaring off."
Unpasteurized cheese
Part of what makes Québec distinct from the rest of Canada is the province's laissez-faire attitude. This is a good thing when it comes to cheese — and Martha Stewart would agree. Québec has an outstanding variety of local, specialty cheeses. Many of the best are made from unpasteurized milk, giving them extra flavor and richness. This encourages small dairy farmers to make new varieties from the milk of a single herd — a practice taboo in the rest of Canada because of food-safety concerns. So, vive la difference! Some of Québec's more notable unpasteurized varieties include: Pied de Vent from the Îles de la Madeleine and Chateau Mailloux from Charlevoix. Riopelle cheese from Île-aux-Grues, named after Québec's late contemporary artist who was most often compared to Jackson Pollock, is the most recent variety to create a buzz among foodies here.
Microbrewery beer
Although Molson and Labatt are the two major Canadian beer companies, locals in Montréal and Québec City often opt for microbrewery products instead. There are a number of these beers in the province of Québec, available on tap in bars and in bottles from stores. Unibroue makes several popular kinds, including Blanche de Chambly and Fin du monde. The latter has a high alcohol volume of 9 percent. Its name means, "The end of the world." McAuslan brews Griffon, St-Ambroise, and also an Apricot Wheat Ale. The Brasseurs du Nord make Boreal, which is probably the most popular microbrew province-wide.
Cidre de glace
Unable to match "ice wine" from Ontario, Québec's beverage industry recently answered by producing "ice cider" from apples. This remarkably similar golden and syrupy alcoholic beverage is also meant to accompany cheese or dessert. It's gaining in popularity, mainly as a cheaper alternative to ice wine, which is very trendy at the moment. Québec's harsh climate makes it a hostile land for vineyards and producing a palatable wine. Most of the ice cider comes from the Montérégie, a region rich with orchards.
Duck from Lac Brôme
Lake Brôme ducks are shipped around the world. The lakefront duck farm is the oldest in the country. Started in 1912, it remains one of the largest employers in the region. They breed Peking ducks, which have delicious meat. In Montréal, there are a large number of restaurants that have duck, usually a confit de canard or a magret de canard. If Lac Brôme is not mentioned on the menu, ask the waiter where the kitchen gets its ducks.
Lamb
Québec has two regions that are renowned for their lamb. On Île-Verte, in the lower St. Lawrence River, the lambs are "pre-salted," because they graze on marshes flooded by brackish water. This makes their meat extra tasty. In Charlevoix, the government granted the lamb producers of this region a special designation for their meat. It is the first agricultural product in the province to be protected in such a way. For producers to be able to label their lamb as de Charlevoix, they must abide by strict rules for raising their small herds.
Blueberries from Lac St. Jean
After maple syrup, blueberries from Lac St. Jean are perhaps the second-most-famous agricultural crop in Québec. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and make excellent pies. They're in season in August. You'll see two kinds in the Québec's markets: wild and farmed. The most worthwhile are the smaller, wild blueberries, intense and flavorful. The people from this region are renowned for their warm hospitality — the region is seen as the province's heartland of sorts.
Strawberries from Île d'Orléans
The St. Lawrence River widens beyond Québec City. Just downriver, lies the Île d'Orléans, an island filled with fields, wooded glades, and rural farming communities. It's said to be the birthplace of French America, because it's where the explorers first settled. The island is also referred to as "Québec City's garden," because it supplies the capital with much of its seasonal fruits and vegetables. Visitors can go fruit picking all summer long; many come for the strawberries, in mid-July, which are particularly delicious.
Tourtière
Nutmeg, clove, allspice, and pepper are the four essential seasonings for this traditional meat pie, a recipe that dates back to 17th-century France. The name refers to a special pot with legs used for baking the pie over the embers of an open fire. There are as many different versions of tourtière as there are willing cooks in Québec. A lively province-wide debate rages on between entire regions and extended families about whose tourtière is best.
Poutine
Two cities in Québec, Drummondville and Victoriaville, claim to be the birthplace of poutine. This local fast-food delicacy, consisting of French fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds, is a favorite at snack bars across the province. Fancier restaurants make upscale versions, with seared foie gras and the like.
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