Cretons

"Cretons are a food typical of the Lower Saint Lawrence. When made correctly, like those of Father Wright, at the Collège de Sainte-Anne de la Pocatière, of Mrs. Trudelle, of Charlebourg, they are delicious. The Laurentian cretons are of two varieties: those made from Leaf Fat* [also called French cretons], which are frugal and well known; and the cretons made from finely ground meat (pork).

This second variety resembles pâté de foie gras in how it tastes. To prepare these cretons well, in the style of Father Wright, the fat must be evenly distributed and the surface has to remain greyish like the inside.

The cretons from Father Wright, for the priests' use only, had such a reputation for excellence among the students of the Collège de Sainte-Anne that, through their prowess, they would sometimes steal a bowl, to make it their delight - like a forbidden fruit - in secret. Sadly, these delicious cretons are no longer found, even in the refectory of the priests! Father Wright took the secret to his grave. But, in short, the best cretons of Québec are still the ones from Kamouraska county."

(Excerpts translated from an original French text by Marius Barbeau describing Cretons. CMC, Marius Barbeau fonds, circa 1940, B273/10/110a).

* Leaf Fat, is the fat obtained from the abdominal cavity of a "dressed pork carcass", excluding what sticks to the organs.