This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Increasingly present in restaurants, as well as on the shelves of our grocery stores and on our plates at home, Mexican food has become a real phenomenon. Multiplication of taquérias, craze for birrias on social networks, notable arrival of Mexican chefs (and female chefs!) in the Michelin Guide and in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking… Hailed in 2010 by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Mexican cuisine is now carried by ambassadors proud of their roots and keen to make us taste them. To the table!
New Mexican cuisine
Changing Quebecers’ perceptions of Mexican cuisine: this is the challenge set by the chef and co-owner of Alma, Juan Lopez Luna. This self-taught man, originally from a small village in Tlaxcala (Puebla valley) and who left Mexico at the age of six, learned on the job, in restaurants, French and Italian cuisine. In 2010, he arrived in Quebec and worked in several establishments. He then opened a first Italian establishment (Farine, closed in 2019), then a second first in the same vein, Alma, with his partner, sommelier and importer of Catalan wines, Lindsay Brennan, in 2018. Until ‘until the pandemic hits and everything is turned upside down.
“In the area of Oaxaca, where we go every year on vacation, we went to eat in 2021 at Alfonsina, a small family restaurant. I was so touched to find the flavors of my childhood there that I told myself I had to integrate them into my cooking. And this, while taking advantage of my technical expertise and Quebec products to take them further, says the chef. I try to promote Mexican cuisine, with gastronomic interpretations of traditional dishes. »
At Alma, we are invited to live an experience that is nothing ordinary. On the establishment’s menu, where nixtamalized ancestral corn (a centuries-old process of drying grains in an alkaline solution) is king, the tasting formula changes every month. She suggests, for example, that we try a cinnamon tortilla water as a starter; A aguachile (a kind of ceviche) served with salmon caviar and wild flowers from Quebec; or a cornbread dessert with ricotta and candied rhubarb. Looking at these few titles, we understand better why this restaurant attracts a large clientele and has won the 72e place in the last Canada’s 100 Best.
Authentic Mexican cuisine and products… made in Quebec!
Obviously, the momentum brought by taquerias and Mexican restaurants has resulted in the arrival of authentic products at our table. This is the case of the online grocery store Lili et Gordo, created by Lili Vera, who arrived in Quebec seven years ago, and her lover Kévin Bélisle (aka Gordo, his affectionate nickname), a pure-bred Quebecois. Basically, this duo of chefs saw their concept of frozen taco fillings, launched just a few days before the fateful month of March 2020, experience immediate success.
Encouraged by this welcome, they have expanded their homemade range (side dishes, salsas, tamals, etc.), which can be ordered on the Web or tasted at their Marché MX, in Drummondville. They also added imported Mexican products to their offerings, such as dried chili peppers, avocado leaves, cactus flour,achiote and… Coca-Cola “because it doesn’t taste at all the same as here,” explains Lili Vera.
But that’s not all. The two grocer chefs also promote Quebec artisans who highlight the culture of Mexico. So we come across finds in store and online like flour tortillas from Tilla’ Tortilla (Dorval), fresh cacti (!) from Cactus fleur (Sainte-Marie-Madeleine), Latin American cheeses from Fromages latino ( Val-des-Sources), as well as churros from the La Molette bakery (Quebec).
“We are still surprised by the curiosity and sincere interest that our customers, made up of 60% of native Quebecers and residents of all regions, have in eating and cooking authentic Mexican dishes. For us, this constitutes a strong symbol, that of the cultural and nutritional rapprochement of our two traditions. It’s very inspiring! » maintains Kévin Bélisle.
He is not the only one to think so, since in Sherbrooke, a small Latin brand intends to compete with the taco kit multinationals that we know until now. This is Los Cinco, a company set up two years ago by Ernesto Rodriguez, his wife, Rosa, and their family.
“We noticed that we didn’t see typical taqueria products in the stores. So we decided to bring the experience of these restaurants home. And this, with sets including nixtamalized corn tacos, real marinades, quality sauce bases and side dishes, and recipes as close as possible to Mexican traditions,” says Mr. Rodriguez.
This research resulted in the marketing, barely a month ago, of three sets in the colors of members of the Rodriguez family, represented by avatars on the boxes. First, the Ernesto kit, type al pastor ; the Rosa kit, with a chorizo marinade; and finally, the Tito kit, type pollo (chicken). “These sets have a little extra,” adds Mr. Rodriguez, “since they adapt well to different meats, and even tofu. »
Were these products expected on the market? Without a doubt, since, every week, Los Cinco is established in dozens of points of sale across Quebec. So we haven’t stopped hearing about authentic Mexican cuisine or local initiatives to feature it, that’s guaranteed!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.