By: Marcia Abramson
He says: "People in Quebec take their food very seriously, probably more than anywhere else on the continent. They put sharing a good meal with good company at the top of their list of favorite things to do." The emphasis is on fresh food a la the old European tradition that my mother had followed and is still adhered to in many regions of Quebec. Of course refrigeration as we know it didn't exist and food spoilage could lead to disease and serious illnesses. Foodstuffs and lifestyles may have changed, but eating is as important as ever in Quebec. Even though French cuisine is the model, Quebec has an exciting regional cuisine that reflects European and native influences with North American tastes. The fertile plains, forests full of game and rivers teaming with fish, have made Quebec a virtual breadbasket. The early French settlers used nature's bounty to prepare hearty meals. They used these ingredients to make meat pies (tourtiere, cipaille}, baked beans (feves au lard), sugar pie and buckwheat pancakes (creton). These foods helped them deal with the hardships of pioneer living. When driving to French Canada, my first stopover is Montreal. I particularly like the Canadian Pacific Fairmont Hotels where, depending on the season, the menus focus on fish and shellfish, marvelous lamb, fresh beef and game. The old part of the city has many historic sites of particular interest for United States tourists. I prefer doing the Gourmet Circuit, a short trip in the Greater Quebec Area sampling delicacies during the trip. You can visit emu farms in Portneuf, see red deer grazing in the Jacques Cartier Valley and stop on the Ile d'Orleans where foie gras is made. Marvelous plum mistelle and ice cider is yours for the tasting on the Ile-Aux-Coudres. The Charlevoix region north of Quebec City is a favorite destination for me. Le Manoir Richelieu, another Fairmont Hotel and Resort, is a heritage building restored to its original grandeur with all the graciousness and élan of a bygone era. The Kennedy clan, the Rockefellers, the Cabots and a former U.S. President, William H. Taft, favored the breathtaking landscape for vacation homes in the early part of the 20th century. Needless to say, Le Manoir Richelieu's cuisine is exquisite. One of the highlights of the environs of Charlevoix is the cheese dairies. I found that these dairies still have a "cottage-type" character and do their manufacturing and transportation the old-fashioned way. They use recipes primarily from the French regions of Brittany and Normandy that date to the beginnings of the New World colonization by the French. It was in 1885 that a colonist, Adelard Perron, produced Cheddar in Charlevoix's Lac-Saint-Jean region, which his family still makes today. Then Brother Alphonse Juin of the Oka Abbey created the famous Oka cheese in 1893. I got to see cheese makers at the Laiterie de Charlevoix, founded in 1948 by the Labbe family, making cheddar cheese using their home made tried and true methods. (You too can watch the cheese makers ever day at 11 a.m.) Make sure to go to the second floor for a tasting of freshly made cheese. That was the best part of the day for me. I also recommend that you buy some Ciel de Charlevoix, a blue cheese from the Maison d'affinage Maurice dufour, a neighbor of the Labbes. In fact why not picnic with a cheese or two, some French bread and a jug of wine. Outside the major urban areas. Your dining adventure can continue with the "Tables champetres," a series of country homes certified by the Federation des Agricotours du Quebec. There are about 30 establishments listed to accommodate small groups of diners who wish to sample farm-fresh products made in the traditional country way. Cities like Montreal and Quebec offer delightful sophisticated continental menus. Culinary celebrations featuring local delicacies fill the calendar, Some of the culinary festivals are the Matane Shrimp festival in June, the Sorel "gibelotte" (fish stew) festival in July, the Mistassini blueberry festival in August, the Magog-Orford grape harvest festival in September, and the Brome Lake duckling festival in October-November. Seafood, lamb, pork, buckwheat cakes and maple products are the themes of other culinary fests. You might want to forget diets and calories and join the festivities at Montreal's international food festival this August. More information and reservations are available at www.bonjourquebec.com" or by calling 1-877-266-5687 or contacting your travel professional.
© Copyright by Marcia Abramson E-mail: mascribe@aol.com
