Ó:IASE | A new apple that pays homage to the Mohawk language

(Mont-Saint-Grégoire) It is the fruit of complicity between an apple breeder and an elder from Kanehsatà:ke. A new variety called Ó:IASE is taking root in Quebec orchards. Juicy, sweet, with an unexpected taste of yellow plum: this creation is even in the process of being patented.

In the shadow of Mont Saint-Grégoire ablaze with autumn colors, Roland Joannin leads two biologists deep into an orchard. The trio stops in front of a row of apple trees which are full of large red fruits.

The two examiners from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) take out their notebooks and measuring instruments and get to work. Their visit is a crucial step before being able to approve this new apple variety with Health Canada.

During the examination, Roland Joannin joins the apple grower Yvan Duchesne, who lends him experimental plots in his orchard to grow his most successful inventions.

It includes Rosinette and Passionata, two other varieties developed by Mr. Joannin which were patented in 2014 and 2015. “We share the madness with Roland, just not all the work he put into it,” says the 68-year-old farmer laughing.

Because before getting there, Roland Joannin and the La Pomme de Demain collective (which works to diversify the apple growing supply) have produced nearly 9,000 hybrids. “There are many called and few chosen,” summarizes the 68-year-old man.

Ó:IASE (pronounced “O-yiassé” in French) comes from a cross made in 2007 in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac between a Honeycrisp apple (the mother) and a Pitchounette apple (the father) . To achieve this, Pihounette pollen was inserted into the flower of a Honeycrisp using a paintbrush.

“It’s fruity, it has enough acidity to support it and it has aromas of yellow plum,” he describes of his late variety.

Colleagues from the newsroom The Press (the apples very quickly disappeared) detected aromas of honey, maple syrup, Asian pear and lychee.

Pay homage

In the Kanien’kéha language – also called the Mohawk language – Ó:IASE means “new apple”. The article Ó designates things from nature, the colon marks a pause, “IA” means apple and “SE” means “new”.

It was Hilda Nicholas, director of the Kanehsatà:ke cultural center and president of Kontinónhstats, the Association for the Preservation of the Mohawk Language, who found the name for this new apple in 2018.

The goal was to pay tribute to the neighboring community of the apple growing regions of Oka and Saint-Joseph-du-Lac.

“Building a bridge between the two nations, I think it’s wonderful,” she said in a telephone interview. “It is an honor to have been contacted to give a Kanien’kéha name because our language is disappearing and we are working very hard to revive it. This is what we do every day, try to keep our language alive,” added the woman who also suggested the name “Atateken” (which means fraternity) to replace the name of Amherst Street, in Montreal.

For each Ó:IASE apple tree sold, a royalty of 25 cents will also be given to the Association.

“It means a lot to me, it’s one of the best moves of my career to succeed in this partnership,” explains Mr. Joannin. “It doesn’t make the world change profoundly, but it does start things up,” he adds.

And what does M think?^me Nicholas the taste of apple? “They’re really, really juicy, it’s a really nice apple,” she replies.

“They are truly one of a kind. I really like them and I’m really proud that we gave them this name. »