Friday 7 December 2012

Salon des métiers d'art 2012: Food Court



Food at Salon des métiers d'art

Is producing food an art? The annual Montreal's show Salon des métier d'art  makes the statement that it is. The Salon is actually about what French call 'artisanat' or the craft type of artistry, not about the of museums type of art. Therefore the Food Court is very appropriately included in the show, at the back of the Place Bonaventure exhibition hall. And what you will find there certainly is not the regular supermarkets' food but gourmet items produced by Quebec's small scale farmers, or small artisanat specialty food industry.



Two images, one above and one on the left show producers of various  alcoholic apple beverages like cider and ice wine. For those who do not know what ice wine is - it is made from frozen apples which are left on the trees sometimes until the middle of the winter. They are often collected after they had gone through several consecutive cycles of freezing and thawing which augments their sugar content needed for vigorous fermentation.




 There are also other types of speciality wines and alcoholic beverages at the Salon. On the photo just above and to the left are products made from honey which also includes Hydromiel, or honey wine. The image to the right shows bottles of wine made from black currents. 

A vendor pictured below offers products made from maple syrup, which also includes maple syrup wines. If you have never drank anything else than the wine made from grapes, you should definitely visit the Salon to get the opportunity to taste these unusual and very delicious wines.




The alcoholic beverages are not the only products featured at the Salon's Food Court. To the left is a photo of the stand with sausages made according to traditional artisanat recipes. I took this picture not long after the Salon had opened. Later on there were so many people by this stand that it was impossible to approach it. They all wanted to reconnect to what the old style farmer's sausages tasted like and to buy them.


For those who love Foie Gras, the duck liver delicacy, as well as various duck pate, you will not be disappointed. The stand shown below has all that. So do come to the Salon to have a free tasting of the Foie Gras, especially if you have never tasted it before.



What would be any food show be without cheese? Yes, indeed, there is also cheese...


For the lovers of the sweet, there are plenty of jams and chocolates and chocolate truffles (made entirely from the nut flour) to taste and to purchase.


And more chocolate...




And for those who love cranberries, their is the
Nutra Fruit Canneberge stand.


To find more about the Salon des métiers d'art and the opening hours, go to the
Salon's website.

Remember that the Salon is free and all the food tasting is mostly free.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

La Grande Dégustation de Montréal 2012



La Grande Dégustation de Montréal
2nd Edition

On November 8th, 9th and 10th,  La Grande Dégustation de Montréal attracted 12 000 visitors at the Palais de Congrès de Montréal. This was an increase of  5% as comapired to the last year. The event was hosted by l'Association québécoise des agences de vins, bières et spiritueux and the Société des alcools du Québec. The visitors were enthralled by the installations, the great number of products, very informative conferences, the vast selection of wines and other alcoholic products, and the great atmosphere during the show.




On the were menu: 24 countries, 210 producers and 1 200 products, of which 600 were private imports.



This event was a great success!



Thursday 8 November 2012

La Grande Dégustation de Montréal



This event will be held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, November 8-10, 2012.

This will be the second edition of this event inMontreal. It provides the unique occasion to discover the finest wines that the world producers can offer. The environment is friendly, and the one-to -one encounter with wine suppliers or distributors offer a special experience, both wine appreciation and learning experience. The taste-tasting of the wines will be for many unforgettable.


This is an event not to be misses! There will be wine producers from around the world. You will meet them in person, sample their wines, and can even stock up on their brands.

Each year the event showcases a country or a region, and a product of a special interest. In 2012, Portugal is the country of interest. Cabernet Sauvignon and rums of the world will also be honoured. To find out more about the event, visit the La Grande Dégustation de Montréal website.