DECOLONIZING OUR TASTE BUDS

• BY GABRIELLE ANCTIL

"I suggest we go back to our roots—back to our larder, our immediate environment, which is brimming with so many good things we don't even realize are there," writes Innu chef Manuel Kak'wa Kurtness in the introduction to his cookbook Pachamama, published by Boréal. He is not the only one who wants to re-establish the prestige of indigenous gastronomy. Let's consider a few examples.

The small grey stone building stands in the center of Cabot Square, west of downtown Montreal. This former urinal house is home to the Roundhouse Café, the only Indigenous café in Montreal. "The cuisine is inspired by powwows," explains Charles-Éric Lavery, director of development at L'Itinéraire and the café's manager. His target clientele includes the many homeless Indigenous people who gravitate to the square: "We want to serve them food that resonates with their culture," he says, such as Indigenous bannock and tacos. But everyone is welcome in this space that strives to build bridges between communities.

Photo: Justine Latour

The Roundhouse café in Montreal offers its interpretation of the Indigenous Taco.

Building bridges is also what motivates Pierre-Luc Xavier who directs the restaurant of La Traite of the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, in Wendake. The focus of the restaurant, which honours the Huron-Wendat culinary tradition, is to familiarize the public with the nation’s long history. The Huron-Wendat were the first sedentary people in Quebec," he says. Their diet was influenced by this way of life. The restaurant's menu thus gives pride of place to the three sisters—corn, beans and squash—traditionally grown together and smoked to facilitate their preservation. The dishes served nowadays are inspired by these age-old traditions.

Photo: Restaurant La Traite

A deer loin, concocted by the restaurant-hotel La Traite, in Wendake.

These culinary spaces not only provide a cultural experience, but they also create jobs for Indigenous people. Better still, some see food as a way to arouse the public’s interest in the rich bounties of nature. Traditionally, Indigenous nations consumed products readily available in their immediate environment.

Learning from history can lead to a better understanding of the issues related to the preservation of biodiversity. If we fall in love with something we eat in a restaurant, we may be more willing to help promote it. Learning while eating is great. As Manuel Kak'wa Kurtness writes, "We enjoy traditional cuisines from around the world, but we have only a vague idea of the food of the original inhabitants of our own continent. Each new restaurant becomes a way of showcasing the richness of indigenous nations. The positive impacts of these initiatives can be felt outside the plate as well!

This summer, the cultural gardens of the Jardin botanique invite you to embark on a tasty exploration of the plant world and human cultures as part of Taste Your Garden, an event where discovery and taste buds collide. Let this culinary journey take you by surprise!