What're your opinions on Canadian cuisine?

[Hurgablurg]

I'm doing an essay on Canadian identity and I figured I need atleast one "interview" to balance out my sources and information. I figured that most people on the boards are probably in the United States, Britain, or other non-Canadian country, and I was hoping you guys could provide some normal, "off the street" opinions on Canadian food. What're some stereotypical foods you recognize as Canadian? Have you ever tried them, and if so, how did you like them? How do the foods compare to your regional equivalents? Are any Canadian foods or brands sold near where you are? How much does it cost?
Be sure to state where you're from (only if you're comfortable with disclosing your country of habitation), please!
And thank-you guys for the help!

UPDATE:
Thank you all so much for all the great perspectives and opinions! This is really going to help my project. Keep the discussion rolling, and thank you all again. You're all awesome! :smallsmile:

[Aedilred]

The only foodstuff I would immediately leap to as identifiably Canadian is maple syrup. That probably does their cuisine a disservice but it doesn't have a lot of penetration here that I'm aware of.

The closest available parallel - aside from honey - is probably golden syrup, which is "unflavoured" (mainly just a rich sugar syrup). In comparison maple syrup is more flavoursome, and I'm a big fan. Compared to golden syrup, though, maple syrup is much more expensive and relatively hard to get hold of, so I rarely have it in. It's not hugely difficult to find, but it's not something you can rely on your local supermarket having in stock and so might have to go out of your way. Pricewise it's about £15/kilo at the lower end of the range, compared to roughly £2/kilo for golden syrup.

I'm in the UK, as my location status suggests.

[veti]

I am ashamed to say that, as a cuisine, "Canadian" has flown completely beneath my radar to date. I have never knowingly eaten a "Canadian" dish, unless you count "anything with maple syrup". And I've made a point of trying just about every cuisine that's been offered to me (I've lived in the UK, Australia and New Zealand).

[themaque]

Poutine is proof that god loves us, wants us to be happy, and wants us to join him very soon thanks to heart attack. Simply put, it's French Fried smotherd in brown gravy and cheese curds.

http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/poutine/new_photos/plate_poutine_1.jpg

My wife is from Washington State and she introduced me to it. It's Canadian originally, Quebec I think. I'm down in Texas and not many people have heard of it. But I know a FEW places that sell it. I've made it for some friends and it's not something most people can resist.

I've seen a few texas takes on it as well, so it's easily mutated to local tastes, but it's simplicity and deliciousness makes me say "THANK YOU CANADA."

EDIT: For those of you in Texas who want to try Poutine yourself, You can sometimes find Cheese Curds at HEB in the high end cheese department in most super-stores if not your local store.

[Hurgablurg]

I am ashamed to say that, as a cuisine, "Canadian" has flown completely beneath my radar to date. I have never knowingly eaten a "Canadian" dish, unless you count "anything with maple syrup". And I've made a point of trying just about every cuisine that's been offered to me (I've lived in the UK, Australia and New Zealand).


The only foodstuff I would immediately leap to as identifiably Canadian is maple syrup. That probably does their cuisine a disservice but it doesn't have a lot of penetration here that I'm aware of.

The closest available parallel - aside from honey - is probably golden syrup, which is "unflavoured" (mainly just a rich sugar syrup). In comparison maple syrup is more flavoursome, and I'm a big fan. Compared to golden syrup, though, maple syrup is much more expensive and relatively hard to get hold of, so I rarely have it in. It's not hugely difficult to find, but it's not something you can rely on your local supermarket having in stock and so might have to go out of your way. Pricewise it's about £15/kilo at the lower end of the range, compared to roughly £2/kilo for golden syrup.

I'm in the UK, as my location status suggests.
Thank-you both very much for the input! Here's hoping I can get a few more perspectives.
+ themaque as well!

[Errata]

Tim Hortons (never been to one to compare to US equivalents, but it comes up a lot). Kraft Dinner (we have it here, but we don't call it that or have it quite as often; and we don't put ketchup on it, that's gross). Maple syrup (we produce that in Northern states too, but Canada is known to export a lot of it). Poutine (have not yet tried it). Back bacon (it's OK; I prefer it to American streaky bacon, which I'm not a big fan of). Pale lager (I dislike beer, so can't tell the difference).

[Eldan]

Yeeeah... I don't have the slightest idea. Some thinking produced "maple syrup". And then "probably like American cuisine?"

Of course, then I remembered that I don't really have an idea about American cuisine either. Bad fast food hamburgers? Turkey? You make apple pies, don't you? It's in the proverb. But so do we, so that's not that special. Or corn. Popcorn? All of Mesoamerica does corn, too, and probably more of it than you.

[Errata]

All of Mesoamerica does corn, too, and probably more of it than you.

And most Swiss cuisine is only a minor variation on things available from your neighbors.

[Eldan]

And most Swiss cuisine is only a minor variation on things available from your neighbors.

I never claimed otherwise. There's pretty much nothing typically Swiss.

[Coidzor]

What're some stereotypical foods you recognize as Canadian?

Poutine is the only stereotypically Canadian food that I can think of offhand. Sure, Maple Syrup is strongly associated with Canada, but it's also American and is part of the shared heritage of both countries, same as beaver, as far as I've ever been able to tell.

Some Canadians claim native american/aboriginal canadian/first nations cuisine/foods as being "Canadian," but that always felt a bit sketchy to me.


Have you ever tried them, and if so, how did you like them?

I've never tried poutine. The closest to it that I've had was ketchup and milk gravy or sawmill gravy(milk gravy with cooked loose sausage in it) with tatertots and french fries and no cheese curds. So, y'know, completely different kinds of gravy and no cheese.

I've tried maple syrup, because I've had friends, family, and friend with family who were syrup snobs. Maple syrup is definitely superior to conventional table syrup found in the U.S., but I don't know if I've actually ever had Canadian-produced maple syrup or maple syrup made in the U.S. from materials sourced from Canada. If I have, then I haven't noticed any real distinction between U.S. and Canadian maple syrups.


How do the foods compare to your regional equivalents?

I believe the main difference between Southern waffles and Canadian waffles is that we're more likely to have butter pecan syrup than maple syrup if we're having proper, fancy waffles rather than vendor trash. I honestly don't know if Canada has been able to avoid having the standard breakfast syrup become corn syrup with some vague mix of maple and cane for flavor, but if they still use maple syrup even in pedestrian table syrup roles, then diner/dive pancakes and waffles and the waffles of those who aren't middle class (or possibly upper middle class these days), then that's another difference.

Otherwise... Southerners actually know how to make biscuits and Canadians don't even try, unlike Northerners who do sometimes try but never quite get the knack of it for whatever reason, possibly it's because they don't like buttermilk as much north of the mason-dixon line, possibly it's a bias against lard.

My understanding is that there's a lot of commonalities between Americana and Canadian fare, because of the nations' shared heritage and geographical proximity. So IIRC, for the most part I wouldn't be able to tell typical Canadian fare from things I or someone in my family might make at home.


Are any Canadian foods or brands sold near where you are?

I think there's some Tim Hortons scattered here and there. Or at least there have been around in some of the areas I've lived. IIRC Tim Hortons is a Canadian chain of donut and coffee shops.


How much does it cost?

Not sure, IIRC Tim Hortons are competitively priced considering their main competitors for donut shops are local stores/chains, Krispy Kreme, and/or Dunkin Donuts in the U.S. as far as I'm aware.


Be sure to state where you're from (only if you're comfortable with disclosing your country of habitation), please!

This is my recollection from having lived in Kentucky and Oregon.


Yeeeah... I don't have the slightest idea. Some thinking produced "maple syrup". And then "probably like American cuisine?"

Of course, then I remembered that I don't really have an idea about American cuisine either. Bad fast food hamburgers? Turkey? You make apple pies, don't you? It's in the proverb. But so do we, so that's not that special. Or corn. Popcorn? All of Mesoamerica does corn, too, and probably more of it than you.

No one makes High Fructose Corn Syrup and stuffs it into every possible food stuff like GastonI mean 'Murica! :smallwink:

Other than the fascination with corn syrup instead of cane sugar wherever possible and even in some cases where it wasn't but we did it anyway, the principle thing that Americans do that's not really as much of a thing in Mesoamerican cuisine is cornbread, which is primarily a Southernism and is basically a synthesis of the corn pone that Native Americans had been eating and the white colonists' ideas of what bread should be like. That's my recollection anyway, it's been a while since I skimmed over the history of cornbread.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Uh, I want to try fries and gravy at some point?

[JustPlayItLoud]

The only things I think of as stereotypically Canadian are poutine and maple syrup. Maple syrup is delicious. It's also readily available and only slightly overpriced. It's definitely a bit of a premium good, but not the same level as, say, saffron.

Poutine is also amazing, but I'm not aware of anywhere in New Mexico that sells poutine. A local gastro pub sells a "southwest" poutine, but it's vile. The sauce on the fries is green and there's neither gravy nor cheese curds. And somehow it tastes indistinguishable from the chili cheese fries from Weinerschitzel (a hotdog based fast food joint, for anyone unfamiliar). The closet you can get are the deep fried cheese curds they sell at A&W (they don't just make root beer, but also have fast food joints), which are pretty tasty but lack fries and gravy. Poutine is pretty much a DIY sort of thing, usually requiring you to use fresh mozzarella instead of cheese curds since actual cheese curds are hard to find. The two also taste virtually indistinguishable.

The most famous Canadian alcoholic beverages here are Labatt Blue, Crown Royal, and Canadian Mist which are all pretty equally terrible.

And I think a good portion of Americans are at least familiar with the concept of Tim Horton's even if, like myself, they've never been or even seen one in person. I hear the coffee is good and the donuts are decent for the price, much like our own Dunkin Donuts.

[Merellis]

Y'all never heard of Nanaimo Bars, Toutiere, Beaver Tails, Blueberry Grunt, or the Butter Tart? :smalleek:

[Flickerdart]

Ice wine is a mostly Canadian thing from what I've seen. Beaver tails definitely are, and they're delicious. Also we have amazing candy (Coffee Crisp, yeah!).

[Zyzzyva]

I have no idea what Canadian cuisine is, because, you know, default (the same way Ottawa Valley is the only unaccented English on Earth). Most Canadian stuff is individual foods, which have largely been mentioned anyways.


I never claimed otherwise. There's pretty much nothing typically Swiss.

...Edible cookoo clocks? :smalltongue:


Uh, I want to try fries and gravy at some point?

Do it! Do it! (Remember the chess curds!)

Fun story: when I was in England once I ordered fries-with-curds and asked for a side pot of gravy for it and really freaked out the poor waitress. :smallbiggrin:


The most famous Canadian alcoholic beverages here are Labatt Blue, Crown Royal, and Canadian Mist which are all pretty equally terrible.

...You don't have Molson Canadian down there? I mean, it's terrible too, but Canada. (I don't drink any of the above if there's any other option, but it's not like Budweiser or Coors is flying the American Beer flag high either. :smalltongue:)


Y'all never heard of Nanaimo Bars, Toutiere, Beaver Tails, Blueberry Grunt, or the Butter Tart? :smalleek:

I worked at Beavertails in Ottawa when I was younger! And I once ate a Nanaimo bar in a bar in Nanaimo, just because I could. :smallwink:

And dulse! Don't forget dulse!

[BannedInSchool]

Just a "ditto" from me here. I've heard of poutine and ketchup on Kraft dinner as Canadian cuisine, both from TV, but never experienced either. Poutine sounds tasty with carbs, fat, salt, and protein, but ketchup on mac'n'cheese? Blech. :smallyuk: :smallsmile: Oh, and maple syrup is yummy good.

[Dodom]

I can't talk for the whole rest of Canada (it's big you know!) but Québec has traditional cuisine that was mostly handed down from French rural cuisine. Today it's mostly served for the New Year - the week between Christmas and the New Year is about the only time we remember we have traditions outside swearing and watching American detective shows.
So, traditional cuisine mostly appears as winter cuisine - fatty, rich things, stews and meat pies mostly. And of course the inevitable beans and lard - sweetened with molasses much more often than maple.
A few classics I can think of would be the Tourtière (the bird it was originally made of is now extinct, so any meat can go in it) and the Cipâte, a multi-layered pie with different fillings on each layer.
The stereotypical desserts are pretty bad, not much flavour outside the sugar. Sure anybody can enjoy something that's basically an excuse of a cake soaking in a sugary syrup, but it's nothing memorable. Pouding Chômeur is exactly what I described there, and Pets de Soeurs are pretty much the same, except with plain piecrust instead of cake.

I don't know enough to describe it myself, but for more "exotic" Canadian cuisine what would be more interesting to look at would be the Maritimes and Acadian regions. The former because they rely on fish and seafood a lot, the second because the Acadian nation was formed from a basically destroyed colony that merged with the local Natives and developped an unique culture that kept a distinct vibe from the dominant "North American" background up to this day.

[OrcusMcP]

As has been made clear, Poutine is definitely a stereotypical Canadian food, and not unjustly so. Maple syrup (the 100% pure stuff, I mean) is awesome, but I wouldn't call it a "food" itself, per se. Maybe that's just me. I will say, though, you haven't lived until you try the actual sap from the sugarbush.

It's hard to pin down exactly what Canadian cuisine is, because Canada is huge, sparse and diverse. What is common in Halifax can be completely different from what's common in Montreal, from Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, etc.

To give a one line answer, Canadian cuisine is a cuisine of immigrants. Poutine is a great example of this: It's the perfect unholy union of French and English cuisine, with lots of animal fat in the form of both gravy (suet and drippings) and cheese curds (dairy fat), along with the greatest North American plant: the potato. (Yeah, tomatoes are awesome, but see above regarding glory of poutine.)

But even when you drill down, you see a lot of immigrant influence on what's popular and iconic to a particular city or region, and you especially see a lot of fusion of food. In Halifax, for example, there's a large Lebanese community and Lebanese inspired Donair sauce is considered a Halifax staple. Toronto is PACKED with different ethnic foods, and many of them are mixed in various ways. One popular spot I recently went to is called Banh Mi Boys, which mixes the flavours of Vietnamese and Korean foods like Cilantro, Kimchi and Soy with the awesomeness that are pork and fish tacos. Seriously, if you're ever in Toronto and you want to eat awesome for cheap, that's a good spot. Similarly, in Toronto, the Danforth is one of the most densely populated restaurant streets in the world, and half of them are Greek.

Food is an extremely regional thing even in smaller, older and more homogenous nation states, so a nation as big, young and diverse as Canada is going to have very marked differences in cuisine depending on where you are.

So that's my 1.43 cents (conversions, eh?).

[themaque]

Y'all never heard of Nanaimo Bars, Toutiere, Beaver Tails, Blueberry Grunt, or the Butter Tart? :smalleek:

I'm not wholly unconvinced you didn't just make all those words up to be honest. :smallbiggrin:

I have heard of the Butter Tart only due to Alton Brown and a YouTube video from the past week. All the rest is Greek to me. (hrmmm speaking of which I need some Moussaka)

[thorgrim29]

Sure anybody can enjoy something that's basically an excuse of a cake soaking in a sugary syrup, but it's nothing memorable. Pouding Chômeur is exactly what I described there

That's why you do this version and impress the crap out of everyone: http://recettes-de-chefs.ca/danny-st-pierre/pudding-chomeur-a-l%E2%80%99erable-de-saint-cyprien/

But yeah, French Canadian traditionnal food is mostly labourer/lumberjack food, high on fat, salt and sugar, with a lot of boiled stuff. There is a bit of a revival going on now where chefs take these recipes and modernize them with high quality ingredients and better technique (as with the pouding chomeur recipe I linked, literally unemployed man's pudding).

Also of note in Québec is that there was a lot of Irish and Ashkenazim Jew immigration to Montreal at the turn of the last century, similarly to New York but from different communities usually. Off the top of my head I can't think of Irish recipes that made it in the "canon", but IMO Montreal style bagels and smoked meat are much better then their New York counterparts.

[Errata]

Beaver Tails

I think we had one of the first (only?) in the US here in Santa Barbara. It didn't last long, perhaps because people didn't know what it was and they didn't advertise. I'd forgotten about it completely, so it didn't occur to me on my list of Canadian cuisine. It was OK, but if they were still around I wouldn't go there often. The crepe place a couple blocks away fills a similar niche, and a patisserie half a mile closer that I would prefer over a beaver tail.

[Errata]

...Edible cookoo clocks? :smalltongue:

Fondue. Raclette. They have some stuff, it's just not overly dissimilar from dishes in adjacent countries.

[OrcusMcP]

I think we had one of the first (only?) in the US here in Santa Barbara. It didn't last long, perhaps because people didn't know what it was and they didn't advertise. I'd forgotten about it completely, so it didn't occur to me on my list of Canadian cuisine. It was OK, but if they were still around I wouldn't go there often. The crepe place a couple blocks away fills a similar niche, and a patisserie half a mile closer that I would prefer over a beaver tail.

The thing about beaver tails is that they are almost strictly found at fairs, food trucks and roadside chip wagons. They're definitely not a restaurant food.]

They are, however, delicious. They're also known as elephant ears, if that name has more US penetration, or as a more general "fried dough".

[Coidzor]

Y'all never heard of Nanaimo Bars, Toutiere, Beaver Tails, Blueberry Grunt, or the Butter Tart? :smalleek:

Butter Tart is Canadian and not British? Huh. That and Beaver Tails are the only ones that ring a bell.

[OrcusMcP]

Butter Tart is Canadian and not British? Huh. That and Beaver Tails are the only ones that ring a bell.

It's definitely a British-inspired dish, but it's Canadian.

[Eldan]

...Edible cookoo clocks? :smalltongue:

Cuckoo clocks are a German invention.

[Zyzzyva]

Cuckoo clocks are a German invention.

Orson Welles lied to me? :smalleek:

[veti]

Orson Welles lied to me? :smalleek:

He was the Voice of Evil in that movie. What did you expect?

[JustPlayItLoud]

...You don't have Molson Canadian down there? I mean, it's terrible too, but Canada. (I don't drink any of the above if there's any other option, but it's not like Budweiser or Coors is flying the American Beer flag high either. :smalltongue:)

Molson is available but literally the only people I've met that have tried it have tried it at the same time as me. It's available bottled in some bars, but I sincerely doubt the freshness of said bottles. Labatt is occasionally at least available on draught. And you have a fair point about American macro brews. The advantage in this case is that I can pay for bad macro beer, or I can pay import prices for macro beer. I would assume anyone in Canada paying the premium for a Bud would be just crazy as me paying $9 for a six-pack of Labatt longnecks.

[Anarion]

I never claimed otherwise. There's pretty much nothing typically Swiss.

...Bankers.


Y'all never heard of Nanaimo Bars, Toutiere, Beaver Tails, Blueberry Grunt, or the Butter Tart? :smalleek:

I've never heard of any of those things. And I'm actually not entirely clear as to whether this whole thread is real, or an elaborate ruse by the Canadians for unknown purposes. :smalltongue:

[Tyndmyr]

My opinions on canadian cuisine?

I think it would be a good idea. :smallcool:

[Zyzzyva]

Molson is available but literally the only people I've met that have tried it have tried it at the same time as me. It's available bottled in some bars, but I sincerely doubt the freshness of said bottles. Labatt is occasionally at least available on draught. And you have a fair point about American macro brews. The advantage in this case is that I can pay for bad macro beer, or I can pay import prices for macro beer. I would assume anyone in Canada paying the premium for a Bud would be just crazy as me paying $9 for a six-pack of Labatt longnecks.

Fair. I imagine Canadian microbrew doesn't get much play down there either, for basically the same economic reasons?


I've never heard of any of those things. And I'm actually not entirely clear as to whether this whole thread is real, or an elaborate ruse by the Canadians for unknown purposes. :smalltongue:

Well, "tourtière" was misspelled, but huh. :smallconfused: Like, Nanaimo bars in particular I always just assumed were an everywhere desert food.


My opinions on canadian cuisine?

I think it would be a good idea. :smallcool:

Badum tish Ghandi.

[Scarlet Knight]

As a McKenzie Brothers fan, I'm partial to back bacon and beer-nog.

[Flickerdart]

Fair. I imagine Canadian microbrew doesn't get much play down there either, for basically the same economic reasons?
I've seen a bunch of Unibroue stuff around. It's very good.

[Winter_Wolf]

After wracking my brain, the only two things I've been able to think of which I identify with "Canadian cuisine" would be poutine and Molson beer. I don't drink beer and I detest cheese curds no matter what you might try to do with them, so it's probably understandable that I haven't exactly been delving into the mysteries of food in Canada.

I don't think of maple syrup as a Canadian thing, though. I've had plenty of locally made (depending on which part of the US I was currently residing in) US maple syrup, but don't think I've ever had anything Canadian.

[Gwynfrid]

Hi. Immigrant to Canada here, coming originally from France. I guess that gives me a perspective that you might find useful for what you're trying to do? Anyway, here goes.

1) What I knew of, before immigration

- Maple Syrup. Pricey, and totally delicious. Uniquely Canadian. I had no idea that the US produces some as well.

That's it. Sorry about that, nothing else comes to mind. I think it's likely the same for all Frenchmen, unless they've traveled to Canada.

2) What I discovered, after immigrating

- Poutine. Kinda gross, but tasty. Severely unhealthy, so, I will only enjoy in moderate doses. I still prefer regular fries with just salt, but that's just me: The kids love it.
- Things cooked in maple syrup, slowly (ham especially). Very nice.
- Ice wine. Very delicious, too bad it's so expensive. Perfect with foie gras (which I must admit to importing from the old home country; I've tasted some from Québec, it was so-so). Perfect on its own, as a starter for a fine meal.
- "S'mores". I understand this is American as well. A lot of fun to do, but from a taste perspective, frankly, it's horrible.
- Butter tarts. Very good, but stay away from the supermarket version, too sweet and not very tasty.
- Tarte au sucre (sugar tart). From Québec, and not the same as butter tarts. I know one kind, elderly lady who bakes it, absolutely delicious.
- Tourtière. Also Québec. Good, but my mom makes a French equivalent I like better. Oh well.
- Pâté chinois (Québec, you guessed it), a kind of sheperd's pie. Good, but I'm sorry to say I prefer it without corn, which pretty much means I prefer the French version. What can I say...
- Beaver tails. Nice, provided you're cold and very hungry after a long walk in the snow, a long stretch of skating on the Canal Rideau, or something like that.
- Tire d'érable (maple taffy on snow, I had to Google it for a translation). Very, very good, another thing that makes you wish for winter. I fear it's less than ideal from a health perspective.
- There are quite a few very nice local beers. Creemore is a favorite of mine.
- Of course, that's without counting the amazing food from all over the world, brought here by the many immigrant communities.

I might think of more stuff later... Living in a different country is always a great education in food.

[Iruka]

I know Poutine from one trip to Canada and liked it a lot. Which is a bit weird, since I usually keep my fries away from the gravy (or order without gravy) so they don't get soggy. I don't think the german cuisine offers anything that would be directly comparable.

I also liked Beaver Tails, but can't remember the details. Some fried dough with a sweet topping, I think? Basically the same as Langos (originally from Hungaria), which is often sold at german street festivals.

Maple syrup is also awesome, comparable to types of honey with a more distinct flavour, forest honey (is that the right word?).


I never claimed otherwise. There's pretty much nothing typically Swiss.

What about Fondue?

[Eldan]

...Bankers.

Sadly, we aren't allowed to eat them. :smalltongue:

Also, tons of our top bankers are German.

Fondue is pretty Swiss, but Savoy and Piemont, i.e. France and Italy, make it too.

[Archonic Energy]

Maple syrup.
Snow.
stick.
Best Canadian breakfast ever.

Did you know that Canada has a "strategic reserve" of maple syrup?

[thorgrim29]

It's not the government's, but yeah that's pretty funny. The maple producers coop has a government mandated stranglehold on the market, they decide the sold quantities every year, but since production depends a lot on what kind of spring you have and maple syrup basically doesn't spoil they keep a strategic reserve. It got robbed a few years ago.

[JustPlayItLoud]

Fair. I imagine Canadian microbrew doesn't get much play down there either, for basically the same economic reasons?


Yeah, pretty much. I don't doubt there are plenty of good ones, but crossing international lines makes things more costly. That and we're going through a massive craft beer boom so there are just a ton of options, and some especially excellent ones where I live. I can get a draught of locally brewed beer for about a dollar more (if even that much) than regular draught and I can look through a window and see the vats that are brewing the beer that I'll order the next time I visit.

I would be happy to try some Canadian craft beer if any good recommendations can be made. Next time I'm booze shopping I'll see what's actually available locally.

[KillianHawkeye]

I'm not too particular when it comes to liquor, but Canada does provide a nice selection of low-cost whiskeys. :smallbiggrin:

[Flickerdart]

I would be happy to try some Canadian craft beer if any good recommendations can be made. Next time I'm booze shopping I'll see what's actually available locally.
As mentioned, Unibroue's stuff (La Fin du Monde is one I've seen even at Costco in NYC) is excellent. Great Lakes brews in both the US and Canada, and their beer is great. I'm not a huge fan of most Toronto stuff such as Mill St that hipsters trip over themselves to declare their undying love for.

[OrcusMcP]

As mentioned, Unibroue's stuff (La Fin du Monde is one I've seen even at Costco in NYC) is excellent. Great Lakes brews in both the US and Canada, and their beer is great. I'm not a huge fan of most Toronto stuff such as Mill St that hipsters trip over themselves to declare their undying love for.

Great Lakes Brewery is indeed excellent, especially their seasonal stuff.

Mill Street has a few great beers and bunch of middling ones. Lemon Tea, Vanilla Porter and Tankhouse are their best.

Creemore Springs, Beaus and Amsterdam are also quite good, but may not have as much penetration in the states. (Amsterdam, might, though).

[Zadhadras]

Some Canadian dishes

- Sugar Pie..like a giant butter tart
- Donair..similar to, but quite distinct from what others might call a gyro or a kebab
- Fish and Brewis.. A classic Newfie dish made form salt cod, fat back and softened hard tack
- Jiggs Dinner..Similar to the new england Boiled Dinner
- Figgy Duff..a type of english style pudding made from breadcrumbs, raisins, brown sugar, molasses and butter.
- Montreal smoked meat..similar in some respects to pastrami. More spicy, less sweet
- Toutons..pan fried fresh bread dough
- oka cheese..made by monks.
- Peameal Bacon..This is the REAL Canadian bacon. The stuff you get in the states is just thinly sliced ham. The real stuff is pork loin that's been trimmed, pickled and rolled in corn or peameal.

[Joran]

It's not the government's, but yeah that's pretty funny. The maple producers coop has a government mandated stranglehold on the market, they decide the sold quantities every year, but since production depends a lot on what kind of spring you have and maple syrup basically doesn't spoil they keep a strategic reserve. It got robbed a few years ago.

China has a strategic pork reserve. We're one strategic pancake reserve away from having an awesome breakfast... The US did have a wheat strategic reserve, but it doesn't seem to still be active.

P.S. When I saw the title, I immediately thought of poutine.

[Artemis97]

I will add to the Nanaimo bars and butter tarts train in that they are both delicious. I visit Destro a lot in Vancouver and have had the chance to get a taste of some traditional Canadian treats. One thing I've taken away from anywhere we've eaten is that everything seems to be fresher than I would normally get in the states. Maybe it's just a Vancouver phenomenon, but they love to have locally sourced and grown ingredients, and even if it's not directly stated as such, everything seems to be of a higher quality than I would find in the US. For example? Tim Hortons, just a regular old fast food joint, has the best doughnuts I've ever eaten. White Spot/Tripple O's, another fast food place, has the best chicken strips I've had (and I do love chicken strips), on top of that they had salads, real ones, that I didn't feel were doctored to make them tastier. It was just an option to replace your fries with. A side salad with a fast food meal? Unheard of down here. And even in higher end restaurants that I could compare to places in the US, everything is just fresher and heathier tasting. I wonder if the restaurants are held to higher standards? Also you can get Cherries Jubiliee or Bananas Foster made tableside with the big fawoosh of fire that's fun and showy and no one worries about lawsuits like we do.


Some amusing... culture shock? tales from Destro, oddly enough, both involving KFC. We were in Orlando and stopped for a snack and, after a day at the parks, Destro orders "The largest drink you have" and I tried to warn him "Just get a medium or a large... this is America, sweetie." But even I was surprised when they brought out a half-gallon bucket of Hi-C Fruit Punch. Later, up in Canada, I tried ordering a biscuit with my meal, a southern staple, and I kept repeating that I wanted "a biscuit...biscuit? Doughy flakey bread thing?" I thought maybe they thought I wanted a cookie? But no, they, for some reason, did not serve biscuits at this particular KFC. Destro claims they never have to his knowledge. Had a similar incident asking for a peanutbutter cookie from a Subway restaurant, but they didn't carry them due to allergy worries, while I can get them in the US. Also you can only get white american or cheddar up there, while an assortment of cheeses, swiss and provolone being my go-tos. Different Countries, Different Stuff.

[Iruka]

I'm not too particular when it comes to liquor, but Canada does provide a nice selection of low-cost whiskeys. :smallbiggrin:

Can you recommend some? I haven't had any luck with canadian whiskey so far.

[VincentTakeda]

Shamefully, other than the whole 'we drink a bottle of pancake syrup' thing... I didnt even realize there was a such thing as canadian cuisine. I assumed it to be essentially the same as the language... Depending on where you live, english or french.

[Zyzzyva]

- oka cheese..made by monks.

I always thought it was made by angry soldiers and native paramilitaries.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Oka_stare_down.jpg

[Errata]

I'm not too particular when it comes to liquor, but Canada does provide a nice selection of low-cost whiskeys. :smallbiggrin:

As well as J Roc Booberry Vodka, which pairs well with pepperoni stick.

[Xuc Xac]

Canadian cuisine is part of the Great Tragedy of Canada:

The Great Promise of Canada was that it could have had British culture, French cuisine, and American technology. The Great Tragedy of Canada is that it has American culture, British cuisine, and French technology.

[celtois]

Most people have covered almost everything I'd mention.
There are some things which I didn't realize were Canadian because, well they are just normal for me.
Butter Tarts come to mind in this category.

The two things I've heard as uniquely Canadian, in terms of commercial products,
is red rose tea (which is disgusting)
and
Ketchup chips (which are pretty okay).

The only shocking thing missing from all the post so far is Saskatoon berry pie/ Saskatoon berry anything.

I'm sure other things will come to me given enough time.

[nedz]

I have been to Canada once — Banff and Whistler.

I went to an Italian restaurant which seemed to use Lard instead of Olive Oil, in fact most fried food seemed to be cooked in Lard. This used to be the case in Britain, but not so much these days — bit of a time-warp.

I was impressed that you had a choice of Atlantic or Pacific - Salmon and Lobster. Maybe this is just a western thing ?

I did go to a truly excellent, and reasonably priced, Japanese restaurant, but that's not really Canadian cuisine.

The beer in Alberta was excellent with a wide variety of types. The Beer in BC, and the stuff you export, not so much.

[danzibr]

Huh, this is an interesting thread.

I lived in Wisconsin until I was 10, and had no idea maple syrup was a Canada thing.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Huh, this is an interesting thread.

I lived in Wisconsin until I was 10, and had no idea maple syrup was a Canada thing.

It's on their flag. :smalltongue:

[Dodom]

It's a leaf though, when we tried syrup it made the flag sticky and bees attacked the parade. It was terrible!

[Aliquid]

Huh, this is an interesting thread.

I lived in Wisconsin until I was 10, and had no idea maple syrup was a Canada thing.Over 80% of the world's supply of maple syrup comes from Canada. But if you live in Vermont, I'm sure that all maple syrup on the shelves is local.

Maybe it is more of a "North-eastern North America" thing... which happens to mostly be in Canada.

[BWR]

While I can't claim to be an expert on the matter but I'm pretty sure that Norwegian opinions on Canadian cuisine could be summed up as: "huh? oh. Um. Well......same as American? Maybe?"

[Elenna]

Honestly even as a Canadian I can't think of too many things...mainly just poutine, maple syrup and beaver tails. The first two are delicious. I've never actually tried beaver tails, but I'm not usually much of a pastry fan.

Also, this discussion has made me want poutine. Time to go increase my risk of a heart attack. (Seriously, the poutine my university cafeteria sells apparently contains 100% of my daily fat requirements just by itself...:smalleek:)

[Xuc Xac]

(Seriously, the poutine my university cafeteria sells apparently contains 100% of my daily fat requirements just by itself...:smalleek:)

You must have an unusually high daily fat requirement if poutine is only 100% of it. I think you have to go up to Nunavut for pemmican and whale blubber if you want fattier food.

[tomandtish]

Like many others, until this article, I'd never thought of Canada having any particular cuisine. There are some foods that come from there, but not a particular cuisine.


Poutine is proof that god loves us, wants us to be happy, and wants us to join him very soon thanks to heart attack. Simply put, it's French Fried smotherd in brown gravy and cheese curds.

http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/poutine/new_photos/plate_poutine_1.jpg

My wife is from Washington State and she introduced me to it. It's Canadian originally, Quebec I think. I'm down in Texas and not many people have heard of it. But I know a FEW places that sell it. I've made it for some friends and it's not something most people can resist.

I've seen a few texas takes on it as well, so it's easily mutated to local tastes, but it's simplicity and deliciousness makes me say "THANK YOU CANADA."

EDIT: For those of you in Texas who want to try Poutine yourself, You can sometimes find Cheese Curds at HEB in the high end cheese department in most super-stores if not your local store.

You realize that this picture just raised my cholesterol 1090 points... My Dr. wants to have words with you. Looks good though.


I also liked Beaver Tails, but can't remember the details. Some fried dough with a sweet topping, I think? Basically the same as Langos (originally from Hungaria), which is often sold at german street festivals.

Until you wrote this description, I thought everyone who mentioned them meant actual beaver tails..... :smallredface:


It's not the government's, but yeah that's pretty funny. The maple producers coop has a government mandated stranglehold on the market, they decide the sold quantities every year, but since production depends a lot on what kind of spring you have and maple syrup basically doesn't spoil they keep a strategic reserve. It got robbed a few years ago.

I remember that. They stole about $18 million in syrup.

[Winter_Wolf]

Until you wrote this description, I thought everyone who mentioned them meant actual beaver tails..... :smallredface:


I'm from rural Alaska, and until I read the descriptions I also thought that people were actually eating the tails of water-loving rodentia. And it really surprised me because it's a cultural dish where I grew up, and it has nothing to do with being fried bread. (Although if you're at a pot-latch they're probably going to end up on the same table.) We call the fried bread—get this—"fry bread". :smalltongue:

[tomandtish]

I'm from rural Alaska, and until I read the descriptions I also thought that people were actually eating the tails of water-loving rodentia. And it really surprised me because it's a cultural dish where I grew up, and it has nothing to do with being fried bread. (Although if you're at a pot-latch they're probably going to end up on the same table.) We call the fried bread—get this—"fry bread". :smalltongue:

I've heard of people eating beaver meat (and apparently you can eat it rare), but is the tail actually any good? Seems like it would taste a little flat...

[BannedInSchool]

I've heard of people eating beaver meat (and apparently you can eat it rare), but is the tail actually any good? Seems like it would taste a little flat...
I think I've seen on some odd food TV show people eating actual beaver tails, so I thought for a moment maybe it was actually more popular than I had thought, but I suspected pretty quickly it was just something called and looking like "Beaver Tails", like Bear Claws. :smallsmile:

[Hiro Protagonest]

I've heard of people eating beaver meat (and apparently you can eat it rare), but is the tail actually any good? Seems like it would taste a little flat...

I saw a survivalist show where they found a frozen beaver and tried to eat the tail. Doesn't taste good apparently.

[Elenna]

You must have an unusually high daily fat requirement if poutine is only 100% of it. I think you have to go up to Nunavut for pemmican and whale blubber if you want fattier food.

It was probably more than 100% actually, but I didn't remember the exact number so I just went with that.

[Winter_Wolf]

I've heard of people eating beaver meat (and apparently you can eat it rare), but is the tail actually any good? Seems like it would taste a little flat...

*Ba-dum tsh.*

I don't much care for it, really. But I'd sooner eat it than starve, if it came to that. Then again, places where I know beavers to frequent are also rife with all manner of wildlife that I think tastes delicious, so it's unlikely to ever be a problem. Or just eat "beaver tail" fry bread and call it close enough, hey?

[Kid Jake]

I'd just like to say bravo thread. Thanks to you I've just picked up the stuff to make Beaver Tails because they sound awesome.

[BannedInSchool]

I saw a survivalist show where they found a frozen beaver and tried to eat the tail. Doesn't taste good apparently.
Now I thought I recalled that the fatty base of the tail turned out to be not bad.

[AtlanteanTroll]

On the note of poutine, this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6i9EPz-K6U) might me enjoyed.

[enderlord99]

Sadly, we aren't allowed to eat them. :smalltongue:

No, but you can eat cheese with holes in it!

[Eldan]

No, but you can eat cheese with holes in it!

That's sort of a myth about Swiss cheese, actually. There's some two or three hundred different kinds of cheese made in this country. Most have no holes. Only one I can think of has large holes, Emmental.

Swiss Cheese (tm), on the other hand, is a kind of American abomination that is the spawn of some mutant god of blandness and a chemical factory. While superficially similar in appearance to Emmental, one should ideally banish it with holy water, then set the remains on fire.

[Rodin]

For whatever reason, Rolo Hot Chocolate appears to be something which is uniquely Canadian. Googling it only brings it up on Canadian shopping sites. I can't get it in the southern U.S. or in England.

I've been craving some for a while, but I both don't want to pay the international transaction fees and the shipping costs and all that. Fortunately, I'm actually going to be in Canada in a few months, so maybe I can stash some in my suitcase to get me through next winter.

[Gwynfrid]

Swiss Cheese (tm), on the other hand, is a kind of American abomination that is the spawn of some mutant god of blandness and a chemical factory. While superficially similar in appearance to Emmental, one should ideally banish it with holy water, then set the remains on fire.

So. True.

To get back on the Canadian side of the subject, does anyone know of truly good Canadian cheese? My local supermarkets don't carry anything even close to decent. I have tried some aged cheddar, it's not bad, but not fantastic. I have also come across a few cheeses out of Québec, but I wasn't super impressed.

[thorgrim29]

Not a huge fan of cheeses, but my parents are and they like artisan cheeses from around here roughly as well as french ones. I do know that there are a few producers in my area that make really good raclette cheeses or Gruyere analogues.

I don't know where you could get some in Ontario though.... There's got to be a few specialty stores.

[OrcusMcP]

Well, Oka is the classic Quebecois cheese, and it is pretty good, and there are a lot of really good Cheddar farms in Ontario. Maple Dale Cheese is my favourite, they make outstanding cheddars (mild, aged, super aged, with pesto, with hot peppers, smoked, etc) and also make excellent curds. Curds aren't just for poutine, you know.

[Gwynfrid]

Thanks. I'll see if I can find Oka or Maple Dale. If I do, I'll report on my findings here :smallamused:

[The_Ditto]

Maple syrup.
Snow.
stick.
Best Canadian breakfast ever.


As a born Canadian myself, I have to give a respectful nod to this ... :smallbiggrin:

(and a note that I absolutely cannot stand poutine .. most disgusting dish ever created - it's the one thing about Canada I am NOT proud of. :smallyuk:



Did you know that Canada has a "strategic reserve" of maple syrup?

You trying to join Edward Snowden? Because that's how you commit treason in Canada .. :smallwink: by giving away our most secret .. er ... secrets. :smallconfused:

[OrcusMcP]

Thanks. I'll see if I can find Oka or Maple Dale. If I do, I'll report on my findings here :smallamused:

Nice. Their factory is between Tweed and Belleville, not far off the 401, and buying straight from the factory is super cheap. Plus, fresh curds and cheese bread on weekends.

[Nai_Calus]

Canada has cuisine? I thought it was like America where we just steal everyone else's stuff.

Poutine, maple syrup?

[anti-ninja]

Rather ignorant of Canadian cuisine (is that really a thing?),the only thing that comes to mind is maple syrup,of which i have only consumed the variety that was locally made in Vermont ,oh and don't you have bacon with your fine country's name on it that is a pile of lies and not true bacon:smallfurious::smalltongue:.

[Aliquid]

Rather ignorant of Canadian cuisine (is that really a thing?),the only thing that comes to mind is maple syrup,of which i have only consumed the variety that was locally made in Vermont ,oh and don't you have bacon with your fine country's name on it that is a pile of lies and not true bacon:smallfurious::smalltongue:.
Not quite sure why Americans call it "Canadian Bacon".... considering it existed long before Canada or the States existed. I believe it is of British origin, and is called "Back Bacon", where as your typical American bacon is "Side Bacon".

As to other cuisine... it has been mentioned before, but needs to be mentioned again. Nanaimo bars are awesome!

[Dire Moose]

I honestly don't notice a lot of differences between Canadian and American cuisine.