Green alder is a seemingly ordinary shrub found throughout Quebec. Yet, it’s the source of the famous dune pepper. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? These berries, also known as “catkins,” are harvested just before the first snowfall. After they’re dried, you can enjoy their peppery flavours, though botanically-speaking, this spice is not a member of the pepper family (Piperacea).

Sweet gale, also known as bog myrtle, is a shrub that grows in wet environments. Its fruit, which is also dried before use, has a slightly bitter, peppery, nutmeg-like taste. Émile Tremblay and Sylvain Dervieux, co-owners of the restaurant Faux Bergers in Baie-Saint-Paul, love to use them to flavour their brines to reveal their complex aromas. Dune pepper and sweet gale are just two of the many boreal spices and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) used and sometimes harvested by these young chefs.

A taste of the boreal forest