Five Outaouais cheeses from Fromagerie Montebello and Gatineau's La Trappe à Fromage are among the 63 finalists vying for top honours in Quebec's 26th Sélection Caseus competition, with winners to be crowned on October 28 in Quebec City. Photo: Courtesy of Fromagerie Montebello
Five local cheeses crack the Sélection Caseus finals
Tashi Farmilo
The Outaouais will have a stake in the title of best cheese in Quebec this fall. Two of the region's cheesemakers landed five products among the 63 finalists in the 26th Sélection Caseus competition, the only contest in the province devoted to homegrown cheese, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced on June 16.
Fromagerie Montebello carries the heavier load, with three finalists spanning three styles: Adoray, a soft cow's milk cheese with a washed, mixed or natural rind; Brio, a bloomy rind cow's milk cheese; and Rébellion 1837, a blue. La Trappe à Fromage de l'Outaouais, the Gatineau cheesemaker founded in 1995 and now running seven boutiques across the region, advances two: L'Attrappe-Cœur, a bloomy rind cow's milk cheese, and Le Petit Bouclier, a soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese.
That haul puts the Outaouais squarely in the middle of the provincial field. Its two dairies and five cheeses trail the powerhouse regions of the Eastern Townships, with seven dairies and 17 cheeses, and Centre-du-Québec, with six dairies and 15 cheeses, but the region outpaced Lanaudière, the Lower St. Lawrence, the National Capital and several others.
The road to the final was crowded. A 26-member jury of cheese experts gathered at the Saint-Hyacinthe campus of the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec to taste through 205 cow's, goat's and sheep's milk cheeses, scoring each on overall appearance, texture, aroma and flavour before settling on the 63 finalists, which represent 28 dairies across Quebec.
Agriculture Minister Donald Martel cast the competition as both a celebration of craft and a nudge to shoppers. He praised the expertise and creativity behind Quebec cheese and tied the contest to a broader cause, telling consumers, "I encourage everyone to choose local cheeses," and arguing that buying local strengthens the regions and the province's food self-sufficiency.
The stakes get settled on October 28 at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City, where 24 prizes and two special mentions will be awarded. The top honour, the Caseus Gold, crowns the best cheese in Quebec.