This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Beyond maple syrup, cranberries and poutine, what are the ingredients and dishes that define us? And above all, how do we present them to the world to proudly say who we are? Reflection on our culinary identity, during this national holiday weekend.
The origins of our cuisine
Of course, the French, British and Irish heritage is indisputable. During the 3e symposium on Quebec’s culinary identity, presented by the Economuseum Network Society last February, culinary historian Amélie Masson-Labonté points out that French culinary background comes mainly from Normandy and Brittany. “In the XVIIIe and XIXethe British and Irish arrivals are mainly English soldiers, Scottish merchants and refugees from the famine in Ireland,” she adds.
But long before the arrival of European settlers and immigrants, Indigenous communities already had a distinct culinary signature. “Mohawk cuisine, for example, includes several dishes based on squash, corn and beans, in addition to smoked fish, berries and wild meats,” she says.
“While it is true that smoked fish was also brought to America by Scandinavian immigrants, smoked salmon, trout and sturgeon are first and foremost an age-old practice for indigenous peoples,” he points out. She.
A kitchen in our image
During the second half of the nineteenthe century, a major wave of Chinese immigration made its way to the territory. This contribution, rich in culinary techniques and new recipes, improves the food offer in the country.
The marriage between the ingredients available at the time and traditional Chinese recipes gave rise to Chinese-Canadian cuisine, which is found nowhere else. The journalist from Globe and Mail Ann Sui also published the book Chop Suey Nation about it in 2019. Beyond dishes like ginger beef, native to Alberta, and chow mein Newfoundland cabbage, she also says that only in Quebec do they serve “Chinese macaroni”, a local version inspired by lo mein.
In the same years, the first wave of Italian immigration to Quebec renewed people’s menu. So much so that today, “spag” sauce is often part of our grandmothers’ recipes, regardless of their origin.
Culinary classics are also simmering in the Jewish community in Montreal, to whom we owe the (best) bagels and the smoked meatas well as restaurants like Wilensky and its legendary all-beef salami and bologna sandwich, mustard and pressed round bread, and the not-to-be-missed Beauty’s, which recently got a makeover.
During the XXe century, the Ukrainian, Syrian, Lebanese, Greek and American communities, among others, are in turn bringing ingredients, recipes and new ways to celebrate this deliciously changing culinary culture.
Then come the Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian and Indo-Pakistani communities which also deeply mark our culinary references.
Cultural diversity is so great in Quebec that we sometimes have trouble putting our finger on our culinary identity, when it is precisely this diversity that brings the uniqueness of Quebec cuisine. We all win by celebrating it, here as elsewhere.
Promoting our gastronomy
The mission of the Montreal Gastronomy Office is to make the city’s gastronomy shine outside the city, and even around the world. One of her recent accomplishments is supporting pastry chef Patrice Demers and sommelier Marie-Josée Beaudoin during their eight-week residency at Fulgurances Laundromat restaurant in Brooklyn. In addition to the local ingredients and drinks on the menu, the couple showcased their great talent to American diners.
We can also showcase our culinary identity when the millions of international visitors pass through us to take part in the province’s many festivals and conventions. All these beautiful people will have to eat. In these major events, do we serve them emblematic dishes to show them who we are?
As part of the Grand Prix du Canada, for example, the catering service at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel is taking the opportunity to serve flagship Quebec products in the boxes. “Each year, we offer classics, such as the smoked meat and the Montreal bagel, explains the catering team. We also cook products from the Magdalen Islands, such as lobster or scallops, and Nagano pork shoulder, a breed of pig originating in Montérégie. »
Exercise this summer. Look for Quebec dishes — of all origins — at festivals. Beyond the dishes, you will also notice that the friendliness and joie de vivre of the person who serves it certainly marks our identity and our love of local cuisine.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.