With spring slowly approaching, so does the season for extracting the sap of maple syrup. After finding out that a sugar cabin (cabane à sucre) called le Chalet des Érables is opened while I’m back in Montreal for reading week, le bf and I decided to drive out to Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, a city in southwestern Quebec, to check it out.
A sugar cabin, also known as a sugar shack, consists of a series of cabins where sap collected from sugar maple trees is boiled into maple syrup.
Historically, sugar houses were a tradition introduced to New France by settlers of Swiss and Normand origin in the 17th century. The purpose was to produce delicious syrup for trade and for personal use during the Winter. After the British conquest of 1763, the tradition was spread to the Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but remained the only family-related tradition in Quebec.
Though I’ve already visited one other cabane à sucre near Montreal before, I was very excited about this one since their website boast of having various animals :D
Upon arrival, our first stop was the reception hall, where lunch was being served.
Inside the salle à manger
Rustic decorations with the light
The quality of the food wasn’t too refined (kind of expected since it’s all-you-can-eat), and the portions were big for the two of us. Still, it’s worth to try it at least once in my opinion. All the dishes are complemented by maple syrup, which were freshly produced on-site.
All-you-can-eat lunch:
Bread, pea soup, sausage and ham in maple syrup, oreilles de crisse (fried smoked pork jowls) with eggs, potatoes, salted bacon, baked beans, ice cream sugar tart
Le bf really liked the oreilles de crisse (the brown crispy things with the eggs), and we originally thought they were made from bits of bacon. After researching afterwards, I found out that oreilles de crisse, a traditional Quebec dish, is made of deep-fried smoked pork jowls, traditionally topped with maple syrup.
An interesting piece of knowledge that came with it:
The word crisse is the Quebec French profanity word for “Christ”. So the name of the dish literally translates to “Christ’s ears”! Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? :P
After lunch, I wanted to go see the animals, but not before we make a stop at the wooden stand outside for some maple taffy (tire sur la neige).
Maple taffy is made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup, but not so long that it becomes maple butter or maple sugar. It’s part of traditional culture in Quebec. It’s poured onto the snow and then lifted with a small wooden stick and eaten as a snack.
Tire sur la neige (maple taffy)
Yummmy!
We kept coming back to the taffy stand, le bf ate a totally of 6 tire sur la neige! That’s how good the maple syrup was :D
I found out that the best way to bond with the animals was to offer them food. Good thing I smuggled some bread from the dining halls from lunch :P
All the deer came after they saw I had food
The biggest deer of the herd, he kept pushing the others out of the way to get bread from me
Mama sheep protecting her babies
Timid baby lambs
My new goat friend: Goat-migo!
I became fast friends with the goat, I swear by the end of our visit he could recognize me. He really liked thebread I gave him and kept stand up with his front legs on the ledge. I almost thought he was going to follow us home!
He’s attempting to eat my coat!
One of the baby goats (:
Looking kinda derpy :P
This alpaca needs some combing
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The visit to the llama and alpaca was not so enjoyable for le bf. I’m not sure if he did something to irritate the llama, but he spat on le bf, twice!
(Maybe he didn’t spit on me since I gave him bread? :P)
The llama likes bread
Where all the maple syrup comes from
『CLUSTERFUCKS♥』 