Hé ho! Festival du voyageur is around the corner and I cannot wait for all the sweet treats, drinks, and activities!
1) In the 17th and 18th centuries, beaver fur was very popular in Europe. During the large majority of the fur trade era, most of les voyageurs signed contracts with the two fur trade giants: The Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company. They used the beaver pelts as a type of bartering system.
2) The ceinture fléchée, entirely woven by hand, was an essential and very sought after accessory in Canada from the late 1700s to the beginning of the 20th century. It would keep les voyageurs warm and was very efficient in supporting les voyageurs’ lower backs while they were carrying bails during portages.
3) Caribou is a sweet Québécois alcoholic beverage composed of red wine, hard liquor, usually whisky, and maple syrup.
4) Sugar pie is a typical dessert of the western European countries of Northern France and Belgium, and the Canadian province of Québec. I cannot wait to get my memère's yearly sugar pie!
5) Tire d'érable is a made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup but not so long that it becomes maple butter or maple sugar. It is poured onto the snow and then lifted either with a small wooden stick.