Montreal food is a blend of Quebec cuisine and the cuisines of different parts of the world. Montreal, which is a largest city of Quebec and second largest city of Canada is considered one of the most livable cities in the world and people from all parts of the world live here and influence the eating habits and culinary traditions of this place.
Historical and Cultural Influences on Montreal Cuisine
The food in Montreal is influenced in a great way by the European culinary traditions. The French settlers also brought a lot of change in the regional cuisine of this place during the end of eighteenth century. With the arrival of different ethnicities to Montreal like Chinese, Italian, Indian, Jewish and Ukrainian after the World War II, the policy of multi-culturalism came into existence and brought a lot of changes in the Montreal food traditions and the eating habits of local people.
Eastern European introduced Northern America with the bagels recipe and today this food is immensely popular all over Montreal. Similarly smoked meat was a food of Hebrew community living in Montreal. In the present times, Montreal is known for its delicious smoked meat all over the world.
Traditional Foods of Montreal Cuisine
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Maple syrup- The juice obtained from maple trees is made into thick syrup and used as a food accompaniment with pancakes, bacon and many other foods.
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Baked beans- A traditional Montreal food usually eaten at all the meals. It is mostly served with maple syrup or pork meat.
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Pate chinois- Also called shepherd’s pie; this is a meat preparation which is coated with peas and potatoes. The dish is popular since the colonization time.
Popular Montreal Cuisine Recipes
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Maple Apple crisp- A tasty dessert made of Quebec apples and canned maple syrup. This dessert is mostly eaten with vanilla ice cream.
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Tourtière- Tourtière is a popular Montreal food which is basically a meat pie made in French- Canadian style. Beer is also added in some of the recipes to enhance the taste of the meat.
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Creton- Creton is an oily pork preparation which is flavored with onions, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and garlic. This food is served at breakfast and is usually accompanied with toast, and pickles.
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Sugar pie- Also known as Tarte au Sucre, it is a small pie which is popular throughout Montreal.
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Poutine- A delicious assortment of French fries, gravy and cheese curds, Poutine is usually served topped with a variety of ingredients ranging from steamed tomatoes to foie gras.
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Pouding chômeur- A tasty dessert which was also known as “poor man’s pudding” as it was easily made using the common ingredients of like flour and sugar. Today this pudding is served in almost all the restaurants of Montreal and is a popular Montreal food.