Pickles & ferment bases
Betteraves marinées
Betteraves marinées · A foundational French-Canadian pickled beet preparation in which whole or sliced red beets are preserved in a sweet-and-sour vinegar brine aromatized with warm whole spices — chiefly cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and allspice. The condiment is jarred via hot-pack and served as a relish with traditional Quebec meat dishes, especially at the holiday 'Fêtes' table.
The formula
≈5:3 vinegar:water (≈2:1) with heavy sugar and whole-spice infusion
Bernardin (source [4]) uses 625 ml cider vinegar : 375 ml water with 500 ml sugar for ~5 × 500 ml jars; lighter French quick-pickle versions (source [5]) use a 1:1 vinegar:water brine with less sugar.
Identity
- Sweet-sour pickled beet condiment rooted in French-Canadian home-canning tradition
- Hot-pack method: beets cooked first, then submerged in a separately simmered spiced vinegar brine
- Signature warm-spice trio of cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and allspice
- Sugar-forward brine, distinctly sweeter than European vinegar pickles
- Often combined with sliced onions in the same jar (Bernardin's 'betteraves et oignons marinés')
- Holiday / 'aux Fêtes' table condiment alongside tourtière and meat pies
Ingredients
| Base | Red beets, cooked and peeled (whole or sliced) | Source [1] keeps small beets whole for elegant presentation; Bernardin (source [4]) recommends small whole beets or 1 cm slices. |
| Acid | Cider vinegar or white/distilled vinegar | Bernardin uses cider vinegar; Quebec home cooks commonly use white vinegar (source [1]). |
| Liquid | Water | Dilutes vinegar to the traditional sweet-sour balance (≈2:1 acid:water). |
| Sweetener | Granulated sugar | Heavy-handed — Bernardin's 500 ml sugar to ~1 L brine is roughly 1:2 sugar-to-liquid, far sweeter than a sour pickle. |
| Aromatics | Cinnamon sticks (≈15 cm) | Bernardin's signature warm-spice contribution; one stick per batch. |
| Aromatics | Whole cloves (and/or allspice berries / piment de la Jamaïque) | Source [4] calls for 5 ml (≈1 tsp) of each; whole cloves are the defining Quebecois note. |
| Aromatics | Sliced onions | Bernardin (source [4]) combines them — ~3 onions, sliced; many family recipes omit. |
| Seasoning | Salt and (optional) mustard seed | Bernardin: 5 ml salt + 15 ml mustard seed; family recipes (source [1]) often omit both. |
Method
- 1Cook whole unpeeled beets in plain water until tender, then cool, peel, and slice (or leave small beets whole).Cooking the beets separately keeps the brine clear and ruby-bright instead of muddy.
- 2Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice (and mustard seed) to a boil, simmering the whole spices briefly.A simmered brine fully extracts the spice oils and ensures the sugar is dissolved before it ever touches the beets.
- 3Pack the hot beets (and onions, if using) tightly into sterilized jars, leaving ~2 cm headspace.Hot-packing reduces residual oxygen and helps the food retain color and texture during storage.
- 4Pour the hot spiced brine over the beets, seal the jars, and either (a) process in a boiling-water bath for ~30 minutes for shelf-stable storage, or (b) simply refrigerate for a quick pickle.Both paths drive out oxygen: long processing for ambient storage (source [4]); simple refrigeration for short-term use (sources [3] and [5]).
- 5Let the sealed jars rest at least several days (ideally 1–2 weeks) before opening, so the beets absorb the spiced brine.Time is required for the beets to take on the sweet-sour, clove-cinnamon character of the marinade.
Techniques that matter
Hot-pack canning
Pre-cooks the beets and allows a hot fill, which expels oxygen and prevents discoloration during storage.
Whole-spice infusion in the brine
Cinnamon, cloves, and allspice are simmered in the vinegar-water-sugar liquid rather than added per jar — yielding a more even, stable spice profile that does not cloud the brine.
Water-bath processing
Once packed, beets are low-acid and the vinegar-acidified brine needs heat to be shelf-stable; Bernardin specifies 30 min in a boiling-water bath for 500 ml jars.
Variations & derivatives
Betteraves et oignons marinés (Bernardin)Quebec / home-canning tradition
Adds sliced onions and mustard seed; water-bath processed 30 min, yielding ~5 × 500 ml jars.
Betteraves lacto-fermentéesFrance / natural-fermentation cooking
Source [2] replaces vinegar with a 2% salt brine and ferments 5–10 days; yields probiotics, much sharper flavor, no added sugar.
Pickles de betteraves rapidesModern French home cooking
Source [3] uses raw sliced beets with a quick warm vinegar-sugar brine eaten within hours/days; preserves the bright pink hue.
Version clickMiam (France)France
Source [5] uses red wine vinegar 1:1 with water, adding olive oil, balsamic, bay leaf, garlic, and black peppercorns; no warm-spice infusion.
Petites bettes dans le vinaigreQuebec family recipes
Same preparation using small white or red baby beets, often kept whole; the term is a deliberate double-entendre — the dish and the small beet.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Cider vinegar → White/distilled vinegar — Standard Quebecois home swap; cleaner, sharper brine without the apple esters of cider vinegar.
- Whole cloves → Allspice berries (piment de la Jamaïque) — Both carry eugenol; Bernardin uses them together, family recipes often pick one.
- Granulated sugar → Light honey or maple syrup — Common Quebec sweetener swap; darker maple will tint the brine — safe but visually different.
- Cinnamon stick → Ground cinnamon — Works for flavor but clouds the brine; stick is preferred for the classic clear ruby color.changes result
Troubleshooting
Brine turns brown or muddy
Cooked the beets directly in the spiced brine instead of separately — starches and pigments leach unevenly. → Cook beets in plain water, peel, then pour a separately simmered hot spiced brine over them in the jar.
Beets taste flat — only vinegar, no spice
Spice infusion time too short, or the spices were dumped raw into the jar with insufficient heat contact. → Simmer the whole spices in the vinegar-water-sugar at least 5 minutes and let sealed jars rest 1–2 weeks before opening.
Jars spoil, lids bulge, or brine clouds after a few weeks
Insufficient headspace, weak seal, or inadequate water-bath processing for shelf-stable storage. → Refrigerate all jars going forward and process a fresh batch for 30 min in a boiling-water bath with new lids.
Beets are mushy and lose crispness
Over-cooking the beets before packing, or using very large mature roots. → Choose small/medium beets (5–7 cm) and stop the cook as soon as a skewer just slips through.