Of all the provinces in Canada, Quebec has the deepest love affair going with food. Thanks, no doubt, to their French cultural heritage, the Quebecois are intensely interested in the art of eating well. How does this manifest itself? Small, elegant cafes and bistros all over the city, and sumptous country inns in the rural areas. Yes. indeed, the French classics — steak frites, steak tartare, foie gras — are well represented.
Not surprisingly though, Quebec food is more than just French food served in a different place. As a matter of fact, the same can be said for all of Quebec culture. Over the centuries, this group of people has transformed a French culture and language that they brought with them to the New World. In the case of food, perhaps the most distinct change is the addition of foods that are grown locally (eg:maple syrup) and the prominence of foods one loves to eat in the winter season (warm hearty soups, heavier sauces) or in some cases, can only make in the midst of a cold winter. (Maple taffy, pictured right.)
One way in which you see how food is a prominent part of Quebec culture, is in the initiative called “Tables aux Saveurs du Terroir” sponsored by the Quebec Agrotourism Association.
Before we go further, let’s clarify the French word: terroir. I have known about the concept of terroir for years –it’s central to understanding all sort of things in French culture, particularly French wine — but , to this day, I cannot look at the word in print and see is as anything but “Terror”, so if your neural pathways are as recalitrant as mine, let me just stop and clarify that it is terroir, with an i, pronounced ter-wahr in French. It’s a tremendously important concept in France and Quebec with nothing at all to do with the scary word it resembles, terror.
The literal meaning is “local”. Its most well known meaning is in reference to wine, and is used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place that make particular product unique. Regions share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques. Those, in turn, influence the crop that comes from the region. In the wine industry, some people call soil “the soul of a vineyard”. Terroir can be very loosely translated as “a sense of place,” and now is sometimes applied to other parts of the culture. You will hear a significant amount of talk of terroir with reference to beer, coffee and tea. At the base of the French wine Appellation system — the reason that you can’t call it Burgundy if it doesn’t come from Burgundy — is the concept of terroir.
All this boils down to this: the land in which something grows matters. And when you take a rich interesting tradition like the French cuisine, then transport it to a place that has a vastly different soil and a dramatically different climate — well, interesting transformations are likely to occur.
Returning to Quebec, and their initiative, “Tables aux Saveurs du Terroir“, we could translate the meaning of the phrase as: tables of those knowledgeable in local cooking. (except that would be pretty clunky compared to Tables aux Saveurs du Terroir.) Essentially, Quebec’s initiative highlights and rewards the people who serve food whose roots are deep in the Quebec soil and traditions. Restaurants who have earned the certification Table aux Saveurs du Terroir show superior quality and a commitment to featuring Quebec flavours.
When you visit Quebec look for the certification — for the best foods and beverages made from the “soul” of Canada’s culture .
This month, Quebec month on the blog, our culture clues will hone in on some of this delicious Quebecois culture. Stay tuned for recipes for sugar shack crepes, ham and pea soup, and our favorite, “ice cider”!