A Cheese Primer

A Cheese Primer

It used to be that all good cheese in Québec City was imported from France—but not anymore. During the last several years, there's been a cheese movement, and regional cheese makers have begun producing award-winning aged cheddar and lait cru (unpasteurized) cheeses that you won't want to go home without sampling.

Luckily, there are enough cheese shops to keep you cheese-shop-hopping all afternoon. Stop by the Épicerie Européenne (560 rue St-Jean. 418/529-4847) in the St-Jean-Baptiste quarter to try some of the lait cru that everyone is raving about. Along the same street, wander through Épicerie J. A. Moisan (699 rue St-Jean. 418/522-0685) , another well-known, well-stocked market, or visit Aux Petits Délices (1191 av. Cartier. 418/522-5154) in the market at Les Halles du Petit Quartier for a large selection of specialty cheeses, along with fruit, breads, crackers, and wine for a picnic on the Plains.

Some good cheeses to watch out for at these shops and others include Bleu Bénédictin from the St-Benoît Abbey, the Île aux-Grues four-year-old cheddar, Portneuf Camembert or the same region's La Sauvagine, a 2006 top prize winner. There's also a chèvre noire, a raw, semifirm goat cheese by Fromagerie Tournevant—wrapped in black wax—that's not to be missed, and the fresh goat by La Biquetteriand. If Gouda is your thing, try a piece from Fromagerie Bergeron.