Traditional cuisine

These are the typical recipes passed down from generation to generation, dishes eaten mainly at family tables during parties and gatherings and in certain restaurants specializing in traditional cuisine. Imported by the first settlers, traditional Quebecois cuisine has adapted to the province's harsh climate, integrating root vegetables, game and farmed meat for a high-calorie result: gourganes (large beans) or yellow pea soup with salt pork, crêtons (ground pork terrine resembling rillettes), beans with bacon, duck with maple syrup, rabbit gibelotte with cider, leg stew (pork legs, potatoes and spices), pork meatball stew cipaille (sipaille, cipâte - potato meat pie), and various tourtières (pies), originally made with game, now made with mixed pork and veal, with recipes that vary from region to region (the best known : the Lac-Saint-Jean tourtière). Sweet tooths will crown this hearty meal with a slice of sugar pie or a pudding. To discover traditional Quebec cuisine, three addresses are highly recommended, all in Old Quebec: Aux Anciens Canadiens, Buffet de l'Antiquaire and La Bûche. The sugar shacks also showcase this type of cuisine, all topped with maple syrup of course. If you enjoyed the experience and would like to get your hands dirty once you get home: recettes.qc.ca/dossiers/cuisine-du-monde/dossier/quebec

New trends

Quebec chefs have now taken on the mandate of cooking in a local, available and seasonal way. In winter, needless to say, this concept presents some difficulties. Some chefs will also cook with local beers or spirits, bake their own fresh homemade bread, or set up gardens behind the restaurant or on the roof to grow their own vegetables and herbs. Some have even gone so far as to have an urban beehive to harvest local honey. Market cuisine has become a must, and can easily be found in the region's good restaurants.

Another major trend in the province's capital is northern cuisine featuring game, fish and other products of the boreal forest, which are seasonal and harvested. Among these, wild mushrooms (chanterelle, orange boletus, oyster mushroom, American boletus...), forest vegetables and berries (saskatoon, sea buckthorn, wild blueberry, camerise, chicory, squash, root vegetables, elderberry...), edible plants and flowers (e.g., wild mushrooms, wild mushrooms, wild mushrooms, and wild mushrooms)), edible plants and flowers (milkweed, monarda, tansy...), northern nuts (black walnut, butternut, heartnut...), teas and herbal teas (wintergreen, Labrador tea...) or spices and aromatics (balsam myrtle, samphire...). To discover this cuisine, the restaurants Chez Boulay, La Tanière and its little brother Légende are highly recommended, as is the restaurant La Traite in Wendake, which offers a Native-style experience.

Agrotourism

The Quebec City region rolls out the red carpet for tasty regional products, and when you think of agrotourism in this region, you immediately think of Île d'Orléans. Located barely 10 km northwest of Quebec City, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, it is a dream come true for gourmands and lovers of bucolic landscapes. Of course, the producers open their doors to visitors and there is always a store where you can stock up on goodies. One only has to think of La Ferme d'Oc and its Roulotte du Coin, Cassis Monna & Filles - economuseum of liquor, or the Chocolaterie de l'Île d'Orléans. On Île d'Orléans, a local certification exists for agricultural and processed products proving that they are recognized for their origin, the know-how of the companies and their quality (savoirfaire.iledorleans.com). Look for the logo! But whether it's here or elsewhere in the region (Portneuf, Jacques-Cartier or Côte-de-Beaupré), local flavors are definitely on the menu, from livestock and vegetable farms, cheese factories, bakeries and pastry shops, chocolate and candy shops, maple groves, microbreweries, vineyards, cider and distilleries, and other specialties.

If

you

can't venture beyond the city limits, take a look at the recently opened Grand Marché de Québec, home to more than 100 producers, processors and artisans. There are also several gourmet stores in the various neighborhoods of the capital, including the more than 100-year-oldÉpicerie J.A. Moisan, which is worth a visit in itself.

Gourmet tours

Those who prefer to be guided in an all-inclusive formula will opt for the gourmet tours. On foot or by bus, in a given neighbourhood or in a not-so-far-away land, they allow you to discover not only local products and good restaurants, but also to learn more about the artisans who are behind all these gourmet creations. Some of them, such as the Epicurean Journeys of CELEB Events, will take you to several neighborhoods off the beaten path. Cicerone also offers a historical portion for its History & Terroir tour in Old Quebec. Others choose a very specific theme, as with Broue-Tours, whose name leaves no doubt that craft beer is at the heart of the concept of this small guided tour company. On the program: three microbreweries, nine tastings, a brewhouse and lots of anecdotes and interesting facts about the history of beer in the Quebec capital. If you want to get away from the city, Quebec Bus Tours offers two trips to Île d'Orléans: the first one to discover the flavors of the island and the second one to follow the local wine route.