Gianduja is a paste made up of a cleverly dosed mixture of chocolate, very finely ground hazelnuts, and sugar.  Its delicacy and balance stem from the fineness of the ground hazelnuts, which give the mixture its distinguishing smoothness. The recipe for this creamy and silky preparation was invented in Italy before the 18th century. It must not be confused with praliné, which contains caramelized sugar, more fats, and much less chocolate!

The chocolate that we eat nowadays is a mixture of cocoa paste, cocoa butter, and sugar.  Cocoa beans come from cocoa pods, fruits of the cacao tree; after a long transformation process, various products are extracted from the beans to be used in chocolate production. While it is now cultivated in every warm region of the world, the cacao tree is originally from America.

Called “xocoatl” by Aboriginals, its taste has greatly evolved since it was brought back from America by Europeans in the XVIth century. Known for over 3000 years, cocoa beans used to be traded as currency and most indigenous peoples consumed them in the form of spiced drinks for therapeutic or ritual purposes; those chocolate concoctions were very bitter. Europeans were quick to add milk and sugar (to eliminate the tartness) and replace the hot spices with vanilla. Long used in its powder form, solid chocolate was only invented in 1821; the first chocolate bar appeared in 1847, milk chocolate in 1876, chocolate candy bars in 1900, and white chocolate in 1930. All chocolates, however, were not created equal! The quality and quantity of basic ingredients, the care devoted to each transformation step, as well as the master chocolate-maker’s know-how make each chocolate unique.

Tiny but plentiful, the hazelnut is the smallest of the nuts but the richest in omega-9 and antioxidants. It also contains sizeable quantities of vitamins E and B1, copper, manganese, magnesium, and iron. A great source of energy, it is greatly valued by athletes; combined with dried fruits, almonds or other nuts, it constitutes a highly nutritious health snack. Also known as cobnuts or filberts, these nuts grow abundantly in Quebec. Jacques Cartier even named an island after them – Île-aux-Coudres – because it was covered with hazelnut shrubs. Aboriginals used it generously in their traditional dishes and already knew how to extract its refined and aromatic oil. 

The almond is not a nut, but rather a hard-shelled fruit whose downy flesh is not edible. Stripped of its flesh, the fruit reveals one or two pits – almonds – to be savoured. Extremely nutritious, almonds have great antioxidant virtues and constitute an important source of magnesium, manganese, copper, and vitamins B2 and E. Today, California is the largest producer of almonds in the world. Known for their refined, distinct taste and sweet tartness, almonds are equally enjoyed plain or as a sophisticated addition to many salty or sweet dishes

Discover the blue berry representative of Quebec! The blueberry is an indigenous North-American plant that belongs to the heath plant family, just like the wild bilberry and the cranberry. Associated with the Lac Saint-Jean region, where it grows in abundance, it is prepared and incorporated in all sorts of sweet or salty recipes.  To this day, it is still mostly harvested by hand in the forest. The blueberry, even when cultivated, contains more antioxidants than any other berry, as well as good quantities of vitamin C and potassium, which makes it a superior health food.

The blueberry remains a staple of the Aboriginal and Inuit diets. Long before the first Europeans set foot in America, they ate it raw, cooked or prepared. They also ate dried blueberries to make the most of their great energy-giving power and vitamins during the long, rigorous winters.  A berry of delicate taste and multiple benefits that imparts its pretty colour to everything it touches.

This little red fruit, also called “atoca” in Quebec, used to grow in marshes and bogs. It is indigenous to eastern North America, which is its greatest producer and consumer. Other varieties exist around the world, although they do not enjoy the same success. It is eaten raw or cooked in traditional Aboriginal cuisine; dried cranberries are also used as a condiment for fish. Quickly appreciated for its virtues, the cranberry was eaten by Quebec sailors as early as the XVIIth century to ward off scurvy. Second only to the blueberry in antioxidant content, it is also a good source of vitamin C.  Its intense colour, slight bitterness, and typical tartness give it its unique character and make it a most interesting epicurean ingredient. Dried, the cranberry becomes even sweeter, without losing any of its health qualities.

The pretzel is an Eastern European pastry made with brioche dough and salted with coarse salt. Very popular in Alsace, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, it is so popular as to be chosen as an emblem for some pastry shops. In these countries, it is available in various sizes and is traditionally enjoyed freshly baked with a beer!

It has become popular all over the world thanks to the food industry, which has made it available on grocery store shelves. Salty, crunchy, and slightly bitter all at once, it has become one of men’s preferred aperitif cookies.