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The couple embraced a true farm-to-fork approach by incorporating wild boar into the meat pies, ribs, spaghetti sauce, poutine, and sausages they served at their beach snack shack.
Agriculture, Specialty/Niche September 01, 2026
A Dish Fit for Obelix
Madelinot couple carves out a niche with wild boar.
Story and Photos by Lorne McClinton
Catering to local markets isn't an option when you farm on an island in the middle of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It's a necessity when you're cut off from the mainland. But the public's interest in local food has allowed Jeannot Aucoin and Gilberte Arseneau from Fatima, Quebec on the Îles de la Madeleine, to carve out a niche of their own with wild boar.
"I got the inspiration for our business, Aucoin des Sangliers (Wild Boar Corner), from Astérix and Obélix," Jeannot Aucoin says. "I'm 65 years old and they [the comics and cartoons] still inspire me. I have the whole collection; the Christmas [cartoon] is a classic. For me wild boar and Astérix and Obélix go together. It's hard to think of them without an image of Obélix with a boar under each arm coming to mind."
And for a fan like Aucoin, why wouldn't they? Wild boar are a major fixture in the Astérix universe. They're the main course at every village feast after a victory over the Romans. According to asterixthegaul.com, the fan website, wild boar is not just the Gauls' national dish, it's a symbol of freedom and cultural identity. And none of the Gauls love wild boar more than Obélix. His song, ‘Quand L'appétit va tous va' (when your appetite is good everything is good) stays with you.
"I had a pig farm in the 1980s but I thought wild boar would be more acceptable to the community," Aucoin says. "But everything I knew about them came from Astérix and Obélix. I'd never seen a real one in my life. But I was aware they were part of the Suidae family, the pig family, and since they're pigs, I knew I could work with them."
Finding wild boar in the 1980s wasn't easy. Aucoin finally found some through a contact at the MAPAQ (Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food). Four bred sows arrived on the ferry in the spring.
"I was expecting weanlings, not adult sows," Aucoin says. "I wasn't equipped for them. I raised them in my garage for a while, while I built a new facility."
Aucoin held off breeding them until he gained more confidence with the animals. That was a good decision because he soon discovered that while they were related to domestic hogs, handling wild boar was quite different. They have different temperaments and require a different management protocol. They need more space and mature more slowly than commercial pigs. It takes between 20 and 24 months to grow large enough to yield 100 pounds of meat; four to five times longer than domestic pigs do. They also produce much smaller litters, usually just six to eight boarlets. Plus, you can never let your guard down around them. They're still wild animals and are more protective of their young.
Above. Madelinots Jeannot Aucoin and Gilberte Arseneau were able to carve out a niche for their wild boar by leaning into the demand for local food.
"They're definitely different to work with; they're hard-headed, stubborn animals, almost like me," Aucoin jokes. In time his comfort level grew and with the mentorship of a purebred producer in Quebec's Eastern Township, he began breeding them.
Aucoin expanded slowly, one step at a time. Their operation really took off after he and other livestock producers formed a cooperative to open a slaughter facility on the archipelago. He's now up to 150 head.
Farm to fork. Nearly all French speakers know who Astérix and Obélix are, but that doesn't mean they know how wild boar taste. Jeannot and Gilberte worked hard to change that. Today Aucoin des Sangliers has become a true farm-to-fork operation. Their meat is sold either directly to locals and visitors through their farm store or at their beach snack shack.
"I've tasted it prepared almost every way, but to really know what good wild boar tastes like, don't add too many spices when you cook it," Aucoin says. "You shouldn't mask its flavor. But it's been the popularity of our meat pies, ribs, spaghetti with meat sauce, pulled boar poutine, and boar sausage at our snack shack that made us a success." ‡
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