Watching the northern lights all bundled up on a beach, going for a cold-water swim in the St. Lawrence, attending mid-Lent celebrations in Fatima or Natashquan, going backcountry skiing or snowshoeing… there are lots of fun and invigorating things to do in the winter in the maritime regions of Québec! It’s also the season to enjoy cozy fires, singalongs and sharing meals with loved ones. As you listen to traditional Québécois music (such as “La Ziguezon”), what can you expect to eat during the cold season in Eastern Québec? Here are some of the culinary traditions we honour in the winter months as part of our local heritage.

Exceptional local products

Whether in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord or the Îles de la Madeleine, cheeks flushed with effort and happiness after playing in the snow, we like to get together for aperitifs and appetizers. You can look forward to trying locally made beers, wines and spirits (something to suit every taste!) as well as appetizers made with smoked fish such as the succulent salmon pavé or maple salmon bites from Atkins & Frères or the smoked herring and mackerel made by the Arseneau family at the Fumoir d’Antan smokehouse. You can also try various tasty cheeses such as the ones made at the Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent. Enjoy these simple, refined and delicious flavours!

Traditional dishes

You cannot visit our regions in the winter without having a tasty sea pie! This Québécois dish, which is traditionally slow cooked in the oven all day long, is authentic comfort food: every family has its own recipe and its own chef. The dish is made with diced potatoes, chopped onions, chicken broth and diced meat, which may include chicken, pork, beef and/or moose, if you’re lucky enough to have a hunter in the family. In the Îles de la Madeleine, you can try the similar pot-en-pot, a pot pie made with lobster, shrimp and scallops as well as diced potatoes and bechamel sauce. This dish can also include eel meat. In the winter, the Islanders also like to make fish chowder, bouillabaisse, cod cakes and salt meat stew, another dish that’s slow cooked in the oven and served with root vegetables (carrots, turnips, etc.).

Throughout our regions, winter is also the season for meat, salmon and seafood pies, as well as stews, shepherd’s pie and meat roasts. These dishes satisfy our biological, social and psychological needs: winter calls for hearty and comforting meals to help our bodies adapt to the cold weather!

Sweet treats

As you cozy up to a crackling fire under a soft blanket wearing your wool socks, you’ll realize it’s time to indulge your sweet tooth… and there are so many options in Eastern Québec! Those of us who are attached to tradition love making the classics year after year, including sucre à la crème, sugar pie and pouding chômeur (poor man’s pudding), three desserts made with brown sugar or maple syrup that have a distinctly butterscotch feel. Another option to warm yourself up is hot milk flavoured with delicious maple syrup from Domaine Vallier Robert or Mytik Shack-Sucré. Finally, be sure to also try the fine chocolates available from La Fée Gourmande!

Winter is also brunch season. One of our favourite activities is to get together to chat, play cards and enjoy a good meal. Traditional French-style breakfast pastries, breads and sweet treats from Pâtisseries & Gourmandises d’Olivier are a must for a memorable brunch. On the Islands, you can also enjoy beignets for breakfast. Made from deep-fried braided bread dough, this fritter (known as banax in Fatima) is traditionally served with a dipping sauce, either caramel or fripette (also known as egg marmalade, similar to molasses egg jelly).

Winter gives us the opportunity to spend quality time relaxing on our own or with loved ones. It’s a time to comfort our taste buds and hearts. Enjoy your winter in our regions!