Québec, the largest province in Canada in terms of area with French as the official language, is characterized by its diversity. The province has a lot to offer visitors. Breathtaking nature and vibrant cosmopolitan cities, such as Québec City with its unique historic charm and cosmopolitan Montréal, show how diverse the province is. Québec's culinary offerings are also unique and exceptionally diverse. In order to preserve Québec's impressive nature and wealth, producers attach great importance to environmentally friendly and sustainable production.
Maple products from Québec are recognized and in demand worldwide and form an important part of the cultural and gastronomic identity of the province, which produces more than 70% of the maple syrup consumed worldwide. Maple syrup is a popular natural sweetener that can be used to prepare many meals and delicious recipes, but is also sought after by athletes due to its antioxidant properties, mineral content and rapid metabolism in the body. Its unique flavor also makes it a popular ingredient for chefs and restaurateurs all over the world. There are now a variety of products made from maple syrup or those that are refined with it, such as goat cheese, butter, jelly, sugar, sweets or alcoholic beverages. In recent years, maple water, the basis of maple syrup, has also become increasingly popular as an innovative product.
Through a strict classification and control system, consumers can rely on the purity and quality of Québec maple syrup.
In our Taste of Canada recipe booklet you'll find a delicious recipe for a maple syrup foam cake to bake at home.
Québec is Canada's largest producer of cranberries and wild blueberries. The local berries are internationally known for their unique taste. For a long time, they were primarily on the First Nations menu, but their numerous health-promoting properties, such as the high content of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and antioxidants, convince consumers all over the world. Today, much of the production is frozen or dried right after harvest, so the berries are available all year round and exported all over the world by Québec companies.
Fishing has long been an important sector for Québec and is carried out in a responsible and sustainable way. The Saint Lawrence River is a huge treasure trove of amazing delicacies. These include smoked fish from the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Nordic shrimp from the Gaspésie, scallops from Côte-Nord and lobster from the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Also on the list: cod, herring, halibut, flounder, mackerel, smoked salmon, snow crab, mussels, beach snails and more.
Québec boasts a flourishing craft spirits scene, unparalleled worldwide, with over 300 types of spirits from about 60 micro-distilleries, where a strong emphasis is placed on local sourcing. Often, not only is the alcohol produced from local grains, but it is also flavored with regional products from the province. For example, distilleries in Montérégie utilize local apple varieties, while the more easterly regions tend to use local herbs variety for vermouth. However, Québec's distilleries surpass each other in originality: herbs, wildflowers, berries, woods, seaweeds, or honey, all find their way into the barrel.
However, these unique flavors are not produced in abundance. To remain regional and conserve resources, Québec's distilleries often produce small batches, sometimes only 100 bottles each. The spirits thus reflect the character of Québec in a way, combining in their taste the diversity of its forests, seas, fields, and plantations. In our marketplace you'll find a selection of these special craft spirits from Québec, such as the well-known maple whiskey liqueur Sortilège and a selection of different gins.
You might not think so, but the fact is that cheese from Québec doesn't have to hide from foreign imports. Over 500 varieties are produced in the province. Whether soft, semi-hard, with blue mold or fresh, the regionally produced cheeses are popular and tasty. A wide variety of organic varieties are also available.
Québec's cheese factories focus on the quality of all components involved in the process: from fields with blooming aromatic plants and healthy, content animals—whether cows, goats, or sheep—to the cheese itself, in order to create the most delicious products.
A particularly special cheese from the region are the so-called Cheese Curds, without which the world-famous Poutine would be only half as tasty! They are characterized by their unique texture, which leads to the curds squeaking while being chewed. Original Cheese Curds from Québec can be found in our marketplace.
In Québec, the production of new crops has been emerging for some years now, some of which stand out on an international level. This is especially true for haskap berries and sea buckthorn, two berry fruits for which Québec is the leading producing province.
The elongated, violet haskap berry resembles a blueberry but tastes more like a raspberry. It contains a high amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruits of the sea buckthorn are orange and notable for their high content of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, flavonoids, and even fatty acids, which is rare for a fruit and hence their use in cosmetics. Consumers can enjoy these healthy berries fresh during their season and frozen for the rest of the year.
Three times the size of France, five times the size of Germany - yet Canada's province of Québec impresses not only with its size. Visitors can look forward to diversity and adventure: sightseeing in Montréal or Québec City, holidays in the countryside, active vacations, or pure nature enjoyment in one of the 27 national parks. Those who think of Québec only for its frosty winters are missing out, as the province is a thrilling destination all year round. Particularly impressive is the Indian Summer. In Québec, the charm of the French "Savoir Vivre" reigns supreme—the East Canadian province is considered the starting point of Canada's discovery, and countless stories about the land and its people, the landscape, the rivers, and lakes are waiting to be told.
You can also find more about Québec on our Bonjour Québec partner site.
You can book flights to Québec, for example, on aircanada.com.
