by Heidi Craig
Quebec’s relationship to China is a long and storied one. French explorers looking for a quick route to the Far East once mistook our province for the place (hence, Lachine). More importantly, the dish anglos know and love as Shepherd’s Pie is inexplicably translated as Paté Chinois in French, or “Chinese paté” when you translate it back into English. As far as I know, the delicious amalgam of ground chuck, canned corn and mashed potatoes has absolutely no connection to Chinese cuisine or ingredients, but hey, I accept the mystery.  

Chateau Ramzay celebrates this foodstuff, Quebec’s national dish (I know, I thought it was poutine too!) with an exhibition this Sunday, as part of an ongoing series titled Let’s Eat!: The traditional food of Quebec . Quebec’s foremost expert on Shepherd’s Pie, Jean-Pierre Lemasson, author of Le mystère insondable du paté chinois, will be giving a talk on the history of the food, while chef Hugo Laroche will be cooking up different types of SP for you to try.  

Chateau Ramzay – 280 Notre-Dame E.
Opening hours: 10am – 4:30pm.
http://www.chateauramezay.qc.ca