FORT KENT, Maine — They may not hold any official records to prove the fact, but as far as anyone can tell, the people of Fort Kent have long held bragging rights to the world’s largest ploye.
A popular food staple among the Acadian population of northern Maine and their New Brunswick neighbors across the border, ployes are made from buckwheat flour and resemble something between a pancake and a crepe in appearance and texture.
As they have almost every year for more than two decades, local farmers Joe and Janice Bouchard from Bouchard Family Farms hauled out their custom made 12-foot ploye griddle Friday night and once again cooked up what is probably the biggest ploye anyone has ever seen.
The Bouchards have some experience, having sold packaged ploye mix made from their own buckwheat for around 35 years.
Hundreds of community members gathered at the Lonesome Pine Trails ski resort in town and cheered as volunteers poured buckets of batter made up of about 45 pounds of the Bouchard’s ploye mix and 20 gallons of water onto the griddle. Free pieces of the giant ploye were then distributed to all who wanted some.
Live music by local Christian band GPS and carnival games for children also set the scene for the cooking of the world’s largest ploye, the premier event of the annual Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce Ploye Festival.
The ploye festival is usually held in August in conjunction with the town’s other big event of the summer, The Fort Kent International Muskie Derby. The ploye festival was moved to the beginning of summer as five major festivals held throughout Aroostook County compete for visitors in August, said Dona Saucier, the chamber’s outgoing executive director.
“We also realize that it is a long time between the Can Am Races (held in January) and the Muskie Derby, so we moved our event to generate a celebration in between the two and kicking off the summer is a great reason to celebrate our humble Acadian icon- the ploye and the agriculture that is so important to this area and the evolution of our culture.”
The ploye festival continues Saturday with a children’s ploye eating contest at Barry’s Kitchen, a food court at the Pelletier Motors parking lot and a street dance at J.D.’s Tavern with live music by French Toast.
