When discussing the topic of Quebec cuisine, there is a good chance that the pie and poutine is mentioned in conversations. However, the Quebec culinary heritage is more complex than it seems. Selecting a national dish of historians to research, there are different ways to showcase this heritage.
From the history of food in setting the culinary heritage
If, from the early twentieth century, several researchers have conducted research on what Canadians were eating at the time of New France will have to wait until the 1980s to see the emergence of a story methodological and varied diet in Quebec. It is against in the 2010s that looks increasingly to the development heritage of the Québec gastronomy become a subject of growing interest in popularity (TV, magazines, cookbooks, etc.) .
What is heritage? Based on the definition in the collective Québec heritage and Gastronomy, "[t] Heritage happens when a community identifies a purpose for which it has a particular taste and decided to make an emblem that is recognized by all, that is to say by its members (current and future ideally) and other nations, since it is a kind of proof of identity. " Applied to gastronomy, heritage can take the form of dishes that represent a region or a country. Would there be a flat representing Quebec?
Determine a national dish
In November 2007, Le Devoir has asked its readers to determine the national dish of Quebec. Among the criteria sought, there was the solid anchoring of flat in Quebec's family culinary tradition, but also the transmission from generation to generation and reproduction recipe "on a regular basis in the kitchens of the province, and , according to a culinary base more or less homogeneous. " In other words, this means that the dish should be substantially the same depending on where it is cooked, either in Montreal, Quebec City or Sherbrooke. The use of local ingredients and the appearance of the dish outside the household are also part of the criteria characterizing the national dish.
The recipe that has distinguished itself as among the suggestions from readers is the shepherd's pie. Its most likely origin dates back to the 1920s, when he was "made up of a layer of rice, a ground meat layer and another layer of rice." Another dish, mentioned several times by readers, becomes the "national dessert": the unemployed pudding, combined with the economic crisis of the 1930s Two dishes which, as mentioned by the historian Hélène-Andrée Bizier in this record, were born in the need and continue to be enjoyed today.
The complexity of national cuisine
For many people, the Quebec cuisine is more complex and varied as shepherd's pie and poutine. This is particularly the case Kitchen Heritage Québec, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by Michel Lambert, Guillaume Cantin and Audrey Simard. According to them, the Quebec cuisine is mixed and open to the world influenced by indigenous cultures, French and British, it was enriched by the contribution "many European dishes, Asian, African and Middle Eastern dishes. "Recently, Mr. Lambert has published on his blog, Quebec Kitchen , a series on the typical dishes of Quebec while paying particular attention to regional varieties.
In conclusion, let us remember that there are heritage when a group identifies an object that represents and will be recognized by all, especially by the group as other people. This is the case of the gastronomic meal of the French, which can be found in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. Before the Quebec cuisine is identified on such a list, there is much work to educate the public and its political representatives. Nevertheless, as long as the kitchen continues to be practiced, it will remain alive and continue to be an inspiration for restaurateurs.
