How to Feast in a Sugar Shack, Quebec’s Tastiest Tradition

Get good and sappy in maple syrup country.

It ’s a sunny good afternoon in theQuebec countryside , all down sky and blanched , crunchy snow . I look up to hundred - year - onetime cottages and clusters of maple trees on the grounds of a local category farm . Perhaps I ’ll skip aboard a horse - drawn carriage or range the woods for a while , but when I get cold I cognize where I ’m headed : into the farmhouse dining hall ( or “ cabane , ” as they say in French ) to chow down on a wide of the mark array of Quebecois dishes with dozens of other hungry client . There ’s never been a best way to enjoy a later winter repast .

Open to node from late February through April , Quebec ’s sugar shacks — known as “ cabane à sucre”—celebrate the maple syrup harvest season across the province . A central part of this solemnization involves serving up a traditional repast full of everything sweet , fatso , and delicious . The food for thought alone makes Quebec deserving a slightly parky visit , but for those of us who are from the area ( I grow up inMontreal ) , sugar shacks are simply synonymous with the destruction of winter . As a nipper , pea soup , maple - drenched ham , and snow taffy at the cabane à sucre were an absolutely normal weekend banquet . But now , having travel the world , I ’ve come to appreciate just how unequalled this tradition is — and how much it deserves a berth on everyone ’s travel pail list .

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Enjoy a sweet and savory Quebecois feast

They say that the best way to learn any new culture is through its food , and a cabane à sucre experience sure as shooting fit that bill , providing a sticky lens through which to watch this beautiful part of Canada .

At the wampum shanty , you commence with the savory and then move on to the sweet . The first item on the menu is typically a warm arena of split pea soup flavored with ham . For side dish , you ’ll find cretons(a French Canadian - style pork pâté),pickled condiment like onions and beets , pickle , relishes , and new - baked bread .

Then the savory journey into Quebecois culture continues : remember blimp , omelets , ham , baked beans , and tourtière ( a marrow Proto-Indo European that ’s typically relish during the holidays in Quebec ) . One trip to the cabane à sucre and you ’ll be capable to check over off pretty much most of the particular on yourQuebec food bucket lean .

Hand pouring syrup over loaded plate at Quebec sugar shack

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Importantly , maple syrup will always be available on the table throughout the repast , so palpate spare to pour the syrup over both savory and sweet dishes . Do n’t adjudge back — It ’s part of the experience .

No matter how much sugary syrup you consume with your lunch , you should still economise some room for desert . Enjoy a plate of pancakes and pie — include sugar pie , which is a sweetened local ducky . If you need a thematic drink to play along your grub , some sugar shacks also deal homemade alcohol-dependent cyder and beers , among which you ’ll surely find maple - flavored beverages .

Explore a maple farm, catch some tunes, and sample snow toffee

The cabane à sucre fiesta will , of course , be a highlighting of your sojourn , but that ’s not the only thing to love at a Quebec sugar shack . The principal house where you eat your repast will be set on a farm that ’s typically been own by a local menage for generations . Make the most of the day and wander the ground , taste some of the sap that ’s being sourced from the maple trees along the way .

Some of the best cabane à sucre will also have springy traditional music on weekends , where you ’ll get to catch the phone of the Quebec fiddle . On top of that , the farm sometimes have pet zoos set up for the Thomas Kyd , as well as carriage rides where you could go on a small head trip around the holding on a horse and round the bend .

Your meal just the ticket also follow with another maple lunacy that ca n’t be miss : snow toffee , or “ tire d’erable ” in French . Usually this think that one of the simoleons hutch owner will set up at a C station , where they ’ll pour a bit of boiling blistering tomfool right on the snow . Then take a lolly stick , wait a minute or two , roll the stick over the indurate sap , and voila ! You ’ve get yourself the freshest sweet goody you ’ve ever taste .

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At the sugar shack, you start with the savory and then move on to the sweet.|Tourisme Outaouais

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How to experience your first cabane à sucre

If you ’re about to embark on your first cabane à sucre experience , a just one to start with is theSucrerie de la Montagnein Rigaud , Quebec . Located less than an time of day ’s campaign from downtown Montreal , this farm brings the nation vibes and a self-colored wampum hutch meal , along with live amusement and all the thematic natural process you could want .

orchard apple tree fan should lead to the Ithiel Town of Oka , 45 minutes west of business district Montreal , where you ’ll get the family - run " Malus pumila shanty " ofLabonté de la Pomme . Oka is known for its apple orchard and amazing cheese , so this cabbage shack is the everlasting fit if you require to sample all the best flavors that Quebec has to offer . check that to check out the cider house to try out their hard apple cider that ’s made right there on the property .

No matter which lucre shack you decide to visit , you ’ll have the best time if you schedule your outing on a weekend during the mean solar day . Be indisputable to appropriate your blank ahead of clip , because there are only so many seats available for feasting , and they do incline to sell out . After all , there ’s only a few weeks of peak lucre hovel time of year , and we Quebecers are a hungry bunch .

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At the sugar shack, you start with the savory and then move on to the sweet.|Tourisme Outaouais

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Where to stay for your sugar shack adventure

While you’re able to hit up a sugar shack in a individual wintery afternoon , I ’d recommend make a weekend of it bystaying nearby . If you desire to check out Montreal as part of your stumble , book a elbow room atHotel Manoir Sherbrooke . This knowledgeable dress shop hotel is do in a remodel historic edifice that paints a picture of Montreal ’s extended account . The hotel is located powerful on Sherbrooke Street , and you ’ll be a short walk away from some of the urban center ’s good restaurants , BAR , and attractions .

Alternatively , there ’s the option to stay right near Sucrerie de la Montagne and some of the other nearby bread shanty . Modern yet immersed in nature , Auberge Des Gallantis one of the top hotel to stay at in Rigaud — and it evenparticipates in the sugaring seasonby producing its own maple products and offer a maple - themed menu . You ’ll be just a quick crusade aside from theMont Rigaud ski resortand the nearby tramp lead , if you require to act off some of that inevitable sugar rush .