Qisirtutauyaq (juniper), cloudberrry, crowberry and more – those are the flavors of herbal tea made in Nunavik that have earned a national culinary achievement award in Canada.

Sarah Rogers of Nunatsiaq News reports here that the honor to the Avataq cultural institute in Nunavik was among six Governor General’s awards given in Ottawa last month.

The ingredients used in the blends are harvested by people in Nunavik and shipped south. They sell under the name Northern Delights. As Rogers writes:

Harvesting ingredients for the tea in Nunavik (Avataq.qc.ca photo)

Avataq was recognized under the “stewardship and sustainability” category for helping support traditional Inuit activities as well as preserve ancestral knowledge of plants in the region.

“We’re all really happy,” said Taqralik Partridge, an Avataq spokesperson. “The teas have been really popular, but we needed an emphasis to take it to the next level.”

Avataq’s president, Charlie Arngak, attended a June 23 awards ceremony at Rideau Hall, where the teas have been served for many years.

There are five flavors – ground juniper (qisirtutauyaq), Labrador tea (mamaittuqutik), cloudberry (arpiqutik), Arctic blend (ukiurtatuq) and crowberry (paurngaqutik.)

Read more about them here, where you’ll learn, among other things, that qisirtutauyaq is believed to be good for colds.

Rogers reports that Avataq hopes to expand to the U.S. market. Fingers crossed!

Gwen Florio

Tags: arpiqutik, Avataq, buffalo post, Gwen Florio, herbal teas, Inuit, mamaittuqutik, Native American news, Northern Delights, Nunavik, paurngaqutik, qisirtutauyaq, Rideau Hall, ukiurtatuq