Wendake, Québec: a flavour of First Nations cuisine

Québec has a long and rich tradition of First Nations cultures, the First Nations being the descendants of the original Canadian people who lived there for thousands of years before European explorers arrived and settled. There are 617 First Nations communities in Canada and 3,100 reserves. First Nations people identify according to whichever of the 617 Nations that they belong to (e.g. Mohawk, Cree, Huron-Wendat).

Some of First Nations food culture you will already be familiar with, even if you are not aware. European settlers learned from the First Nations to tap the maple tree for sap to make syrup from them when they arrived. In broad strokes, traditionally the First Nations migrated seasonally for food that they hunted, foraged or fished for, although their cultures are diverse and adapted to where they were based, from the Canadian Arctic and Ontario to Nova Scotia and British Colombia. Their agricultural practices include the poetic 'Three Sisters', where corn, bean and squash have traditionally grown together, each plant supporting the others as they grow.

In Québec alone there are thirty-nine First Nations. I visited the Huron-Wendat Nation, Wendake, in Québec City, just fifteen minutes from downtown Québec. In Wendake you will find a rich tapestry of indigenous ingredients and cooking styles from old school to contemporary. At Wendake there are several restaurants and also a hotel where you can stay, the beautifully presented and comfortable four-star property Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations. It was the hotel that first drew my attention with its gorgeous decor, First Nations museum and fine dining restaurant La Traite and nearby La Sagamité.

When asked what indigenous food is, chef Steve Bissonnette at La Sagamité in Wendake says it is straightforward, natural, simple food. There is no need to use overcomplicated words to explain what you are eating. It is respecting nature and understanding a culture that has lived on this land for so many years with an incredible knowledge of the forest.

In terms of cooking, indigenous chefs ensure that all animal parts are used and that nothing is wasted. They need to be creative to do interesting things with buffalo bones, deer noses, roots from the forest, boreal herbs and uncommon berries such as cloud berries and a need to be creative with limited ingredients. Indigenous cuisine is still new in gastronomy. There are cloud berries from the great north, Labrador tea (the leaves of low, slow-growing shrubs used as an infusion and a seasoning) and birch syrup. Personally at home, Steve has cooked moose, bear, beaver and Canada goose. To continually add to and develop this, Steve and his team are always seeking out producers and indigenous herb pickers in order to bring new flavours into their cooking.

The traditional First Nations bread is called bannock, and like most recipes integral to a culture is adapted by every family who each have their own way of making it. I have had it fried, deep-fried, baked and, on this occasion, cooked in the embers of the fire with Samuel, a storyteller at Wendake. Following storytelling at the Wendake longhouse (a magical experience in itself) we proceeded to the fire outside where Samuel shared his family bannock recipe and cooked it with me. We made the dough and then wrapped it around the end of the stick which we placed in the embers of the fire to cook gently until golden and gorgeous. A perfect bite in the cooling evening air.