The kick-off of the 14th edition of the Martinique Gourmande culinary festival, which takes place from September 25 to October 3 in Quebec, took place virtually, Wednesday, in the company of representatives of the destination Martinique and partners of Atout France Canada.
On the menu, during this special edition, a prize for the general public, i.e. a trip for two to win in Martinique at Club Med Les Boucaniers on the wings of Air Canada, the two official partners of the event. Winners will be drawn at random on the website. Interested parties have until October 22, 2021 to participate.
Resumption of air service
Air Canada is resuming flights to Fort-de-France on October 30 and will offer direct service between two and five times a week to the French overseas destination. The resumption of flights depends on the evolution of the pandemic and travel restrictions that are constantly changing.
A festival that highlights the gastronomy of Martinique
Each year, the festival allows Quebecers to discover the Creole delights of Martinique’s cuisine while enjoying dishes and cocktails prepared by Quebec and Martinique chefs and mixologists in the restaurants participating in the event. For the past two years, due to the pandemic, the event has gone virtual, offering vignettes and workshops that allow people to watch the chefs cook and prepare their own dishes at home.
In a big first this year, a Martinique brunch will be held at the solidarity restaurant Le Robin des Bois on October 3. “It’s going to be festive, it’s going to be good, it’s going to be cheerful,” argued Muriel Wiltord, director of the Comité Martiniquais du Tourisme pour les Amériques.
“We have this rich nature, this tremendous biodiversity and it’s with that that we get local products with which we make our dishes, our traditional dishes, our new dishes. We use our local products more and more and it is really a sharing from the earth to the plate that we promote and that we enjoy as well as our visitors. Martinique Gourmande, it is for us a foretaste, an appetizer of the approaching winter season to give you a taste of Martinique and we have been extremely well received on Quebec for 14 years.”
“While waiting to meet physically, this festival will allow us to taste the flavors of Martinique, to discover them, to rediscover them at home, among friends and to share with friends recipes that we will make available and that will be presented to you by various chefs from Martinique and Quebec. For us, Martinique Gourmande is a meeting between our tastes and our chefs.”
Entry requirements for Martinique
Those who would be tempted to discover the flavors of Martinique in person, on the island of flowers, will have to present a negative test for COVID done no later than 72 hours before departure or an antigenic test done no later than 48 hours before the trip.
A seven-day isolation upon arrival is recommended if the passenger does not have a complete vaccination schedule (2nd dose received at least seven days before travel).