Originally from Provence, d’Andria decided to cook up a cookie made with ingredients that represent the city’s demographics: Italian olive oil, Canadian butter, French vanilla and Quebec maple syrup. As he says on his website, it was a way for him to honor the various cultural facets of the province of Quebec. I noticed that plenty of cultures were left out of the recipe (Irish potatoes, Jewish bagels, Chinese spices, Lebanese garlic sauce, etc.), but I imagine he had to make some choices in order to come up with something people would be willing to eat!

And willing to eat these cookies I am! Half sugar cookie, half shortbread, they are crisp, sweet and available in four flavors: cranberry-raspberry, citrus, Belgian chocolate and my favorite, maple sugar crisp. Impossible to eat just one. (Impossible to eat just two!)

OK, so where can you find the Montreal cookie? Go to any of the following and ask for “Le Biscuit de Montreal”:

• Marché du Vieux
• Patisserie Marius et Fanny
• Au Pain Doré Bakeries
• Marché des Saveurs