This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Extremely rare ten years ago, hot sauces have become a veritable taste phenomenon in Quebec. So much so that you can find it everywhere: in small specialized grocery stores as well as in large chains, on grills as well as in sophisticated meals, chef’s dishes or local poutine. And our local craftsmen lack neither imagination nor dynamism in this area. Meeting with creators who now spice up our daily lives!
Our ancestors would no doubt turn in their graves seeing the slew of dishes and spicy cocktails that we consume today. Traditionally without spices — even black pepper was absent from the recipes — Quebec cuisine has converted to hot sauces in the space of a few years. What can we attribute this trend to? After all, not so long ago, consuming these sauces was more of a challenge than a taste.
The most plausible answer to this question can be linked to the crossbreeding of our society, and therefore to that of the culinary cultures that rub shoulders there. However, Élise Potvin, who created La sauce MTL in 2022 with her spouse, Nolan Brown, indicates that in her opinion, the pandemic has played a major role in the proliferation of small local spicy bottles. “People wanted to get back to the flavors they had grown accustomed to in restaurants that were closed then, so they started adopting hot sauces in their cooking,” she says.
Spicy AND gourmet sauces
Élise knows what she is talking about since it was precisely during the pandemic that Nolan, who could no longer work as a chef at the Joséphine restaurant, began to equip himself and have fun in their shared kitchen.
“What we found on the market were either products without spices or products with skulls that made us cry for 20 minutes,” says Élise. There was no middleman. So, Nolan has, for fun, developed fruit-based sauces that are spicy, but fresh, elegant and good. And since Montreal is a small village, the word spread quickly. Requests poured in from everywhere! »
At the end of December 2021, the two lovers decided to seize this opportunity and found La sauce MTL. Élise took the logistical and accounting reins of the project, while Nolan created seven common sauces, seasonal sauces (they change every semester) and a hot oil for lovers of spiciness as well as those who just want to add a little “oumph”. to their recipes.
Recognizable by their elegant flasks, the duo’s sauces are also distinguished by their gourmet combinations of ingredients: pineapple and IPA, jalapeno and dill, truffles and chili, etc. These products can accompany oysters, red and white meats, pasta, vegetarian dishes. A world of flavors far removed from hot sauces that simply burn the palate. And success is there, with nearly 10,000 bottles sold in 2022 and a forecast of 40,000 to 50,000 bottles in 2023.
“We have no doubts about our products, even if the market may seem saturated,” confirms Élise. The future is bright for hot sauces from Quebec, I am sure. »
Spicy on the North Shore
Like La sauce MTL, many small businesses specializing in hot sauces have recently sprung up all over Quebec, including where you least expect them. For example, Patrick Bergeron, a resident of Sept-Îles, on the North Shore, decided in 2020 to transform his first passion for gardening and spice into a real job.
“It is quite possible to produce peppers here,” he explains. Just choose those that best adapt to the cold and plant them in a greenhouse. I cultivate moreover about sixty varieties. I was just hesitant to start at first because I was afraid that, commercially, it would be impossible. »
However, as soon as Patrick tested the market by displaying his first Le petit jardin du nord hot sauces on a Facebook group of amateurs, “everything sold out in time to say it”, says the one who now offers 15 sauces. different, ranging from half a jalapeno to 300 jalapenos in terms of strength.
However, we must render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Patrick’s products, which are inspired by Quebec culinary specialties and products, are very original. “I converted into a spicy version of the preparations that I previously made without spices, such as ketchups, onion sauces or cream fudge,” he says. I also get ideas from an old Canadian cookbook that belonged to my grandfather. »
Patrick has also designed very special hot sauces… for desserts! Called Bleuetos (with blueberries) and Fralapeno (with strawberries and rhubarb), these slightly spicy coulis can be served with cakes or ice cream. Suffice to say that hot sauces no longer know any geographic or taste boundaries!
Some other Quebec artisans to discover
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.