Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by someone123

But Vancouver does have a good food scene that has a lot of its own uniqueness that flows from a mix of local ingredients, local innovation, and the particular blend of cultures that came here. It's not just highly rated with no substance nor could it be transplanted to Indianapolis. It is much more sophisticated than anywhere in Quebec aside from Montreal. It exists independently of what language people here speak or if they talk like pirates or do folk dancing.

I've had some pretty sophisticated cuisine in Quebec outside of Montreal and in far and rural areas. No other province in Canada comes close to Quebec when it comes to small-town cuisine. And I'm talking about many non-tourist places and even ones that are not within reach of large cities.

Unfortunately, Quebec is being hit the hardest by worker shortages of any province and many of these great independent restaurants are either in trouble or will be soon.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

I went to the grocery store here looking for it sometime after I moved here, thinking it was a standard one like oregano. Did the same thing with pepperoni ("Brothers style").

And the folks responsible for Brothers pepperoni came here from Poland...

http://www.brothersmeatsdeli.com/

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by niwell

I had a pea meal sandwich from a food truck in Georgina the other day and it was fantastic. As good as carousel in st Lawrence.


Probably heresy to say peameal sandwiches are good though.

I never knew what peameal bacon was until I was older. It was not something you'd find in my region. Today, a small number of restaurants here have it available because they are chains or the owner came from Southern Ontario.

I remember going to the U.S. when I was younger and seeing and trying Canadian bacon and wondering what was so Canadian about it. To me it was just a type of ham. I visited some family members in Southwestern Ontario who served peameal bacon for breakfast. I asked them what it was and they were shocked that I had never heard of it.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Acajack

So that would mean that pad thai, fajitas or lasagna are Québécois cuisine?

I mean... Pate Chinois is literally just shepard's pie, a traditional Anglosphere/British dish, and it has been brought up on here as an example of Quebecois cuisine.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

I mean... Pate Chinois is literally just shepard's pie, a traditional Anglosphere/British dish, and it has been brought up on here as an example of Quebecois cuisine.

Pâté chinois is in fact quite different from English shepherd's pie, and its genesis is somewhat unclear.

Even if inspired by shepherd's pie, it's probably different enough to be in the same category as donairs are relative to true Mediterranean kebabs.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I never knew what peameal bacon was until I was older. It was not something you'd find in my region. Today, a small number of restaurants here have it available because they are chains or the owner came from Southern Ontario.

I remember going to the U.S. when I was younger and seeing and trying Canadian bacon and wondering what was so Canadian about it. To me it was just a type of ham. I visited some family members in Southwestern Ontario who served peameal bacon for breakfast. I asked them what it was and they were shocked that I had never heard of it.

As I am sure you are aware, stuff like Montreal-style smoked meat is found in restaurants all over Québec, from La Sarre to Baie-Comeau. And everyone knows what it is.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As I am sure you are aware, stuff like Montreal-style smoked meat is found in restaurants all over Québec, from La Sarre to Baie-Comeau. And everyone knows what it is.

Where can I find it in Gatineau?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Where can I find it in Gatineau?

In tons of places: sit-down or fast food.

Good places would be Le BBQ Shop or La Station.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Pâté chinois is in fact quite different from English shepherd's pie, and its genesis is somewhat unclear.

Even if inspired by shepherd's pie, it's probably different enough to be in the same category as donairs are relative to true Mediterranean kebabs.

You literally need to start a letter-writing campaign to anglo-marketers like Loblaws (example below) to get them to correct this on their packaging. Those of us unfamiliar with Quebec culture will otherwise incorrectly equate the two forever, if not corrected.



I'm curious now, is there an accepted, accurate french name for Shepherd's Pie? One would think that these corporations would have Quebecois consultants before putting it into ink, but obviously they missed the target on this one.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As I am sure you are aware, stuff like Montreal-style smoked meat is found in restaurants all over Québec, from La Sarre to Baie-Comeau. And everyone knows what it is.

What differentiates Montreal-style smoked meat from other styles of smoked meat?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Pâté chinois is in fact quite different from English shepherd's pie, and its genesis is somewhat unclear.

I'm interested in how pate chinois got it's name. There is nothing vaguely Chinese about this food at all. I suppose it's like french fries, which I suspect has nothing to do with the French.

Originally Posted by Acajack

Even if inspired by shepherd's pie, it's probably different enough to be in the same category as donairs are relative to true Mediterranean kebabs.

Have you ever had a donair, especially a Halifax donair??? Donairs are nothing at all like kebabs. You do not serve a donair skewered on a stick. The manner of the cooking is entirely different. And, then, there is the donair sauce...........

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

What differentiates Montreal-style smoked meat from other styles of smoked meat?

The spices, the brining, the cut of beef used.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I'm interested in how pate chinois got it's name. There is nothing vaguely Chinese about this food at all. I suppose it's like french fries, which I suspect has nothing to do with the French.

I've been wondering the same. When purchasing the above-pictured product, I wondered how "shepherd's pie" translated to "pate chinois". It turns out I don't even know what pate chinois is, apparently.

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Have you ever had a donair, especially a Halifax donair??? Donairs are nothing at all like kebabs. You do not serve a donair skewered on a stick. The manner of the cooking is entirely different. And, then, there is the donair sauce...........

I'm thinking he meant gyros, as they are similar in physical appearance to donairs, but are worlds apart in actual make-up and flavour.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

You literally need to start a letter-writing campaign to anglo-marketers like Loblaws (example below) to get them to correct this on their packaging. Those of us unfamiliar with Quebec culture will otherwise incorrectly equate the two forever, if not corrected.



I'm curious now, is there an accepted, accurate french name for Shepherd's Pie? One would think that these corporations would have Quebecois consultants before putting it into ink, but obviously they missed the target on this one.

To be fair, that's not really "shepherd's pie" either.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The spices, the brining, the cut of beef used.

Thanks... I always see Montreal style smoked meat everywhere, and had come to accept it as being somewhat generic in terms of 'smoked meat sandwiches'. Without doing the research, part of me wondered whether it actually originated in Montreal, or did it just gain popularity there, and thus took on its name as a marketing point.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

To be fair, that's not really "shepherd's pie" either.

LOL. Good point.

Marketing... sigh...

[MonctonRad]

Wikipedia gives this definition:

Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or in its French version hachis Parmentier is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked. The meat used may be either previously cooked or freshly minced. The usual meats are beef or lamb. The two English terms have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and the 19th century, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.

Not a word on pate chinois. I don't know what that shite is (and neither does Wikipedia, or, apparently, President's Choice)............

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Thanks... I always see Montreal style smoked meat everywhere, and had come to accept it as being somewhat generic in terms of 'smoked meat sandwiches'. Without doing the research, part of me wondered whether it actually originated in Montreal, or did it just gain popularity there, and thus took on its name as a marketing point.

I think it's agreed that it was brought to Montreal by Eastern European Jews, but the precise way it's made evolved in Montreal.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Wikipedia gives this definition:



Not a word on pate chinois. I don't know what that shite is (and neither does Wikipedia, or, apparently, President's Choice)............

To me, it's creamed corn that makes it "pate chinois".

[MonctonRad]

There is in fact a Wikipedia article on pate chinois

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pâté_chinois

Apparently, the term is exclusively North American (Acadian and Quebecois).

Nobody knows where it comes from, but it might have to do with an origin in Lachine. An interesting read actually.