Guess what this symbol means?
Mr NQN and I take to wandering around Montreal in search of the best food on offer. We walk past this sign and I point it out to him. Surely it’s a sign for cherry stand right? I thought that perhaps food was so important that they had permanently designated stands (hey in NQN world there would be gardens made of lollipops and macarons on sticks and fruit trees would line the streets). It turns out that this is the symbol for a fire hydrant, not cherries-ha! 
Anyway, enough about hydrants (I never thought I’d say that) but I know what you’re interested in right? The food of course! We’re off to visit two of the well known markets in Montreal, Atwater and Jean-Talon. Each neighbourhood has it’s own bakery, chocolatier and cheese shop and Montrealers generally shop at these fresh markets for fresh food rather than at huge supermarkets.
There are three things that Montreal is known for:
1. Dairy
2. Apples
3. Maple syrup (of course)
Montreal has about 650 varieties of apples which are a hardy fruit that last throughout Winter. 95% of maple syrup is from Canada and 85% of this is produced in Quebec.
We start at the Atwater markets which are housed in an Art Deco building. The markets were started by a Montreal mayor during the 1920′s Depression. It was a way to keep the male population employed and the markets were often started in the poorer areas of Montreal. The Atwater market is the largest flower market in Montreal and it’s a busy one. On a Saturday 9,000 baguettes alone are sold. Our guide Ruby shows us the pates that are available and there is a dazzling array of them. The most popular one is the Cretons which is a pate with pork, herbs and spices.
The mayor after the one that set up the market was a gourmet chef and he decreed that the meat had to be in a different section from everything else. Interestingly, he was also against the idea of street food so as a result there is literally no street food to be had in Montreal.
We start off at Premiere Moisson which means first of the harvest. Mr NQN and I try the mille feuille. You may know I am, afflicted with pastryitis. I adore the stuff (I blame my butter loving mother) and I’m eager to see how the pastries stack up to Paris’s. Ruby buys us a mille feuille and a bowl of coffee and a bottle of water.
Mille Feuille (cut in half)
Bowl of coffee
The temperature today is set to reach 45C (I did ask for hot weather didn’t I?). The coffee is excellent and made by espresso and the mille feuille is beautifully crunchy although interestingly the top layer is of whipped cream and the second layer is of custard. Despite the humidity outside the pastry is wonderfully crispy similar to that caramelised Pierre Herme 2000 Feuilles pastry that I still dream about.
Pre prepared confit of duck
Luckily we’re in strawberry season and the raspberries too are cheap with baskets for $3 and a lot of 6 punnets for a tiny $10! This is because many are producer to market stalls, we need to stop ourselves from gorging on berries. There are both wild and farmed blueberries (the wild are tiny and about half the size of the farmed blueberries), mulberries, strawberries and raspberries. It is also lobster season so varieties of Homard Lobster go for as little as $7-$14 a kilo.
Front trays of raspberries at $10 a tray!
Mmm raspberries…
Fruit from the Île d’Orleans fetches a higher price and is sought after as they are local berries from Quebec.
We enter the cheese shop there where they stock 750 varieties of cheese with about 289 local and artisanal cheeses. The Cendrillon goat’s cheese covered in ash (Cendrillon means both Ash and Cinderella!) won first prize in an International cheese competition. Patrick lets us try some Le Chevre Noir which is a goat’s cheddar that is gorgeous.
Ash covered Cendrillon goat’s cheese
Pied de vent cheese
We then try one of their strongest cheeses, the Pied de Vent which means the light passing through clouds after a storm. It’s a soft, washed rind cheese which is made on the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The “La Canadienne” cows (a Québécois heritage breed of small cows) are fed grass from the island giving it a distinct taste and strong aroma and most interestingly, an almost sandy rind! Summer is the best time to eat this cheese as that is when they can eat hay from the island. During Winter time they have to ship hay in from elsewhere. which does give it a slightly different taste. From Friday to Sunday they do cheese tastings at this shop.
The ever so popular local garlic
Jean Talon Markets
Our next visit is to the larger, older Jean Talon Farmers Markets with approximately 300 stalls. Walking from the train station, we hear a mix of languages which stands out and reminds us of being in Sydney as we’ve become accustomed to hearing French. People of all sorts of ethnicities walk past us and we smell all sorts of aromas including Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and Moroccan. These markets are open markets within a shed cover. Along one side is a range of meats, seafood, cheeses and other delectables. Most of the rows of stands however are taken up with fresh fruit and vegetables all prettily displayed
Calamari $7.99
When we arrive at 11am we see the queue of people that wait for the 11am calamari delivery. We join them and order a serve for $7.99 along with some piquant mayonnaise (you can also choose tartare sauce). We hand our order over to the man behind the counter and take our place at the picnic tables outside. The calamari rings as well as some baby squid that got into the mix are very lightly coated but also very tender and well matched with the lemon and spicy mayonnaise.
Maple and mango ice pop $3
We also buy a maple and mango hand made ice pop from Les Pops for $3 which quenches our thirst and cools us down. We take some time to browse the various stalls including one that specialised in local produce, a stand that sells a wide range of meat and minces including bison mince. There are some delicious cheeses and as it is lobster season there is plenty of lobster available at very low prices. I lament my lack of stomach space!
A Bison only stand
Fruit with samples-yes that’s me nabbing a piece
All of those figs for $4! Le sigh…
It’s bean season!
Most fruit stalls have elevated sample plates where you can help yourself. Extra sweet fruit is given a “tres sucres” sign and as the sign suggests are actually very sweet. We buy a big punnet of blueberries for the tiny sum of $2. We regret not having the room in our tummies to take advantage of their 3 punnets for $5 deal. A bag of eschallots sells for an incredible $1.
$2 blueberries!
Around the main shed are a variety of restaurants and food stalls that specialise in food from all sorts of countries. There is Mexican, Portuguese chicken as well as a lot of other ethnicities represented.
Microbreweries
A rather intriguing looking cake
One store is called Marche des Saveurs which has 100% Quebecoise produce. They stock the largest selection of microbrewery beer here. There are delectable sounding products such as maple wood smoked bison, venison and duck.
Emu terrine!
Birch Syrup and Wild Rose Syrup
Organic dairy is also popular and their version of a pie is called a tourtière. Of course there are maple products in every single way, shape and form-they’re an innovative lot here. There is a 1 litre bottle of maple syrup for $20!
Run rabbit run!
Before we leave we take a look at the wine store at the front where we spot some pretty gift boxes of Canadian Ice Cider. Canada is known for Ice Wine but Quebec specifically is known for Ice Cider. Ice wine is made from grapes that has been frozen on the vine and is a sweeter type of wine that is usually quite expensive.
Ice Cider is made from apples as Quebec produces so many and it is made from apples that had been frozen on the branches. We try some and it tastes sweet and delicious, similar to a dessert wine although not quite as sticky or sweet. It’s served cold and when drunk warm it tastes more like apple juice. In this store alone, there are 60 producers represented here of about a total of 100 Quebec producers, some of whom sell direct.
Blueberry port
They also sell maple products including maple cream which is like Baileys but Maple flavoured and honey wine.
Shopped out we bring our bounty of purchases back to the hotel wondering how we will fit them into our luggage!
So tell me Dear Reader, any tips on packing? And what did you think the hydrant sign stood for? 
NQN travelled and explored Canada as a guest of Tourism Canada
Atwater Markets
138 Avenue Atwater
Montreal, QC H3J 2J4, Canada
(514) 937-7754
Subway: Station Lionel-Groulx
Jean Talon Markets
7070 Avenue Henri Julien
Montreal, Quebec H2S3A3, Canada
(514) 903-2113
Subway: Station Jean-Talon
Le Marche des saveurs du Quebec
280 place du Marche du Nord, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Tel: +1 514 271 3811
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47 Comments | Add your own
I love Montréal, and I’m so glad you’re getting a small taste of what Canada has to offer. You definitely need to visit the Prairies, and the West Coast to round out the picture!!!
I have never appreciated how well you do travel reporting till I tried doing it myself. It’s really tough to remember everything and to take pictures to tell the story. Kudos to you girl, you always do a fabulous job!
Whoa, I already wanted to take a trip to Canada to visit Montreal, but now I really want to do so! Wonderful photos-loved looking through them.
p.s. that sign does look like ‘hey, get your cherries here!’:)
Food markets are always so much fun. I wish raspberries were a better price here!
Two of my favourite places in Canada
Thanks for sharing a little piece of Montreal as I read this in the 40+ degree heat of Joshua Tree National Park in California!!
How sensational! You have such a nose for sniffing out all the sensational food places. I thought that sign might be “set up your trellis table here” as part of the street market thing.
As for packing tips, I love those material packing cubes you get at travel and luggage places. They do a wonderful job of separating each set of clothes (eg tops, bottoms, undies) into their own compartments, at the same time as squooshing it all down if necessary. It makes accessing what you want very easy.
I would also make sure to pack TravPak laundry detergent, a special travel wash, which is concentrated and comes in a small white tube with black and red stripes. I get mine at DJ’s or Myer in the luggage section and there is nothing better to wash clothes in a sink. Get one tube for each person per fortnight. Heaps better than soap and very effective. I travel A LOT and wouldn’t leave home without it. I even asked my mum to send me some more as I’m travelling longer than I intended.
Oh, and I should say pack light, of course. Follow the old rule: when going on a trip, lay out all the clothes and all the money you think you’ll need. Then halve the clothes and double the money.
Lorraine, you do have a dream job! I love all those luscious fruits and as it always happens to me when at markets overseas I would wish I have access to a kitchen somewhere to cook up a storm with these fresh produce!
They look like wonderful markets. At $10 for a box of Raspberries I would have lived on those for days.
I seriously thought the hydrant symbol was for a mobile picnic table!
Lorraine you have the best job in the world. Really, you do.
There is nothing finer than checking out foodie markets in other countries. Whether it be a huge one like this, or a small supermarket in the back end of Budapest. I love exploring it all.
This place looks amazing!
I just can’t get over the price of those berries. My packing tip is to pack light, or take clothes you are willing to abandon so you can fit more yummy goodies in you bag instead!
Don’t forget the famous Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, too. They are a sight to behold. Imagine a NY pastrami sandwich piled high as can be, but between two slices of bread the size of canape toast points. Yup, it’s a mini, mile-high meat-attack sammy.
I too love Montreal .Worked there for 6 months back in 1967 at Expo’67 What a cosmopolitan city it was back then I can only imagine it has got better Well Done Lorraine and thank you for this wonderful treat. You have given me the “nudge” to visit again
The pictures of the raspberries, blueberries and boxes of other berries makes me want summer right now. I am hallucinating maple icecream topped with these fresh berries and maybe a nutty crumble mmm
The calamari too, makes me want summer now. Calamari and chips on the beach mmmmm…….
Love your post and I’m glad you had such fun at the Montreal markets =)
hehe, I thought it was a sign for cherries too! How wonderful to explore the food markets of Montreal, I must admit I’ve never thought of it as a particularly “must see” destination but you’ve given me second thoughts!
Oh yum, and yum and yum!
You don’t want my packing tips….I’m hopeless!
The affordability of those raspberries and figs is killing me! Those are some of my favourite fruits, and I can hardly ever justify buying them here in Aus. The Canadians and Americans don’t know how good they’ve got it!
These markets look great, especially with those gorgeous berries!
Just leave me alone with those raspberries :O
I can’t get over how cheap the berries are!
Love the berry and maple based alcoholic beverages.
Isn’t coffee in a bowl magic?
SSG xxx
Darling, don’t you know pastryitis is contagious?
You’re spreading it around!
Loved this post…if only we have markets like this over here.
As a young traveller in my 20s, Montreal was one of the first places where I discovered a real farmer’s market. I remember the pleasure of buying punnets of fresh raspberries and blueberries, and eating delicious cheeses and tasting cinnamon buns and pastries as delicious as those in France.
It was the beginning of an awakening of my tastebuds and my then hubby and I enjoyed self-catering our way throughout Canada.
Wow, your trip looks fantastic! I’m a terrible packer, and don’t end up wearing half the stuff in my suitcase!
I thought it was a sign for a picnic table
I also love to be in Montreal..Its one of the best places in the world..
How cute are all the vege & fruits laid out! So jealous of those berries. You can rarely find them here looking that nice let alone for those prices!
As for packing I find it helps to remember in most case if I really need to I can use laundry service & by packing things I can mix & match.
quebec is such a source of good thing !! thanks for the sharing !! Pierre de Paris
We went to Atwater Market when we were in Montreal and it was great! It was hard not to buy everything in sight. The charcuterie and cheeses were particularly fabulous and I couldn’t get over the price of fresh fruit. So awesome. I wish we had markets like this in Sydney
I love hearing about markets in other places – it’s rarely the kind of travel reporting you get to see. Why don’t we have cheap berries in Oz – they seem to be do cheap in the US and in Canada?
Lorraine…by the looks of the produce in your photos…it seems like you’re still here in my city of Montreal?!?
I applaud your efforts to highlight two of our wonderful food market outings.
If you are still here…I wish you a wonderful and exciting time.
Too bad I wasn’t aware of this surprising visit…I would have arranged a slightly different tour of Montreal and surroundings. Oh well, maybe another time ;o)
Thanks for this lovely post.
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
What a fantastic market, and great pictures. Thank you for taking us along with you daaahling.
My best tip for packing is to take a lot of big ziplock bags. They are great to pack your dirty clothes in on the way back home while keeping them separate from the clean stuff.
*kisses* HH
Montreal also has a macaron shop that only sells macarons
I’m always enthralled with your trips to market, and this post is such a treat, Lorraine! And I definitely would have thought the sign was for cherries too, lol!
Tourism Canada certainly made the right decision in getting you on board, Lorraine, for Montreal has now jumped to the top of my list of future holiday destinations when it didn’t really feature at all in the past!
I loved this post – great photos! Wow, all those berries, figs, so cheap. You’re such a tease!
I saw that pic of the $10 raspberries and cried
Dunno if it’s a good packing tip, but it does work for me – I put everything I want to take with me on the bed, divide it into outfits and essential/non-essential, then do a cull. Then pack it all, if it doesn’t all fit then I start again and repeat until it does. I usually only have to do it once because once I remove 4 pairs of shoes I can fit everything else
)
I am firmly jealous of all those cheap berries. My best packing tip is to always take a shower cap – it makes the straighten last much longer!
OK, hopping on a plane TODAY. Your pics have me drooling and dreaming of a French holiday where they parlez a little Anglaise…(or do they??)
a fire hydrant? could’ve fooled me!
now, about that BOWL of coffee…
Amazing food – so many cheap berries! I would love to see that part of the world
Yay! French representation
That mille feuille looks ‘parfait’
Aah! Lorraine, your posts always teach me something. Today I find out the name of my condition – pastryitis, I have been a sufferer for a long time, and it doesn’t look like it will go away!
Packing tip: if travelling with hubby/sister/close friend relo pack half your clothes in your bag and half in theirs and they do the same. That way, if one bag gets lost, at least you’ll have some of your clothes instead of all your clothes getting lost
Torturous to look at the fruit, even though I was there eating it not that long ago!
I think the sign is a mixture of a picnic bench and some cherries, so it is signifying the location of cherry eating benches
Wow, absolutely amazing! Wished we had markets of this scale, variety and quality in Brisbane. Want that Mille Fuille!
i am so glad that we are going to a nice dinner tonight, because reading this has made me SO HUNGRY.
OMG! sch a great food trail! I just adore looking at those desserts!
Thanks for the great post Lorraine. I can’t believe all that fruits and so cheap too. Oh why oh why can’t Sydney be like that..
I just came back from there… I LOVE ATWATER MARKET! Unique and special place to be. Thanks for the pics!!!!!
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[...] has such a longstanding food history and there is a good diversity of fresh produce. And like the fabulous markets in Montreal offer, here slices of fruit are readily offered in bowls for sampling allowing you to taste the produce [...]
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