Nordic Cuisine in Québec City

The boreal forest is one big playground for Arnaud Marchand, co-owner and chef at Chez Boulay. He likes to cook with balsam fir and cranberry seed oil—finicky ingredients that take some finesse to use! For dessert, he uses sea buckthorn and white sweetclover to surprise and delight the taste buds. White sweetclover tastes a lot like vanilla, and sea buckthorn—a small orange berry loaded with vitamin C—adds a touch of acidity, much like lemon. In addition to dining in, you can also enjoy a quick meal from the restaurant’s ready-to-eat counter. And don’t forget to stop by the store and pick up the owners’ recipe book and the ingredients you’ll need to whip up a boreal feast at home!

Légende, L’Orygine and Tanière3 restaurants by Groupe La Tanière pride themselves on cooking exclusively with local products and using all parts of the animal or plant, from root to fruit. The restaurants are staunch advocate of biodiversity and work to source ingredients from the boreal forest sustainably. Come for a drink, a meal, or just dessert and discover a whole host of responsibly-sourced delicacies!

Discover the benefits of the medicinal herbs and local plants used by Québec’s Augustinian sisters. Le Monastère des Augustines' boutique sells Les tisanes de l'apothicairesse, healthy infusions once used by the nuns themselves! Try the Tisane Royale—a blend of grape, licorice, and flaxseed—and a whole host of other healing, comforting, and calming concoctions that revive the body and mind.

La Korrigane brews craft beer with hand-picked ingredients from boreal trees and bushes. Depending on the season, you might find some unusual products in the barrels, like a German-inspired beer made with wheat and Labrador tea, a plant that’s often used as a tea substitute. This peppery and lemony beer, named Amaruq, took home the silver medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards in 2017.

Indigenous culture and traditions take centre stage at La Traite restaurant at Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Wendake, no matter what time of day you stop by. The chef uses unique ingredients like birch syrup, oak leaf, and wild berries to delicious effect to enhance the flavour of his game, fish, and vegetable dishes. Be sure to try some bannock, a traditional flatbread that goes great with the many local cheeses, smoked fish, and housemade jams served at brunch.