At the Roadhouse Bake Shoppe and Cheese Market we are really proud of our quantity and quality of Quebec Artisanal Cheeses. We are thrilled to not only promote great Canadian Cheeses but to help Canadians become excited about what Canada can produce, fresh delicious cheeses produced the way cheese was meant to be made. In fact we carry several cheeses made in Abbey’s by Monks in Quebec!
In the World of Cheese-making, Canada has not really been on the map! Simply put… Quebec Cheeses are now taking up prime shelf space at upscale grocery stores, on the menus of leading North American Chefs and on the dinner tables of the most demanding connoisseurs.
Many of the best Quebec cheeses, especially their raw-milk cheese are served in the finest restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York!
Cheesemaking has a long history in Quebec which began after Jacques Cartier imported the first French cows to New France in 1541. The 19th century saw the industry really take off when artisans in Quebec and across Canada took up the trade.
The monks, way back in 1893, of Oka, a small Quebec village, began turning out cheese that today are among the most esteemed of Quebec cheeses !! Fromagerie Perron was founded in 1895 and is still in operation and a few years later the Benedictine monks of Saint-Benoit-du-Lac and the nuns of Mont-Laurier also dipped into fromage making. (We carry Oka, a 2 and 4 year Perron cheddar as well as Benedictine Blue and Frere Jacque both made by Monks! and so much more.)
A description of one of the great Artisanal cheeses is, Frere Jacque, a firm cheese with yellow-orange rind and hazelnut flavour. Serve with fresh fruit; in salads; grated on fresh pasta;in quiche/omelettes; in soups; in scrambled eggs; with meat and veggies; in dishes served au gratin; in sandwiches and in fondues!
Quebec was primarily known for its cheddar and Trappist cheeses it now boasts close to 300 varieties being produced today. They are renowned for their high quality and diversity, including varieties made with raw cow’s, goat or sheep milk that are comparable in style and taste to France’s illustrious fromage au lait cru.
If you ever find yourself in Quebec take the time to go on the ”Route Gourmande des Fromages Fins du Quebec” .
