What do Canadians traditionally eat? What's on their table? Do they cook porridge? Do they prepare traditional soups, borscht and the like? I addressed these questions to my daughters, because they communicate much more with indigenous Canadians than I do. I received completely different answers. And at the same time the same.
Canadians love fast food
So, what conclusion have we come to by observing just familiar Canadians? First: Canadians love to eat so-called junk food: chips, which also includes hamburgers, sandwiches, various nuts coated with powdered sugar, etc. This is food that does not require special preparation. I came, threw it into myself, got a lot of energy and ran on.
In this traditional understanding of how we cook, first, second, third and compote, in general, few people cook here. The exception is perhaps the Greeks or Italians. For the most part, they really cook very little here. And for some reason pasta is such a staple food. It would seem like a strange choice for Canadian Canadians, but pasta.
Everything on plates
We noticed another small feature. This is how we serve, say, the second dish on a plate. This is usually a piece of meat, fish, some kind of side dish and a small salad. It's all served on one plate. For traditional Canadians, this seems like complete horror, a complete nightmare and complete, half-pig food.
They, after all, first eat the salad, on a separate plate, then soup is served on a separate plate, just a piece of meat can be served on a separate plate, the same pasta with some sauce is served on a separate plate. But as we traditionally eat, we come to visit, and we put it all on one plate, and there we tried a little of this, this, that. They look at it very strangely.
A young girl I knew was dating an Italian. And when she went to visit his relatives, the Canadians, and the child ate in her traditions, that is, a little bit of everything on one plate, they simply looked at her in horror. How can she eat like this? You have to take it separately, that is, separately the salad, separately this, separately that. But in such a mix it is not used.
Be careful, large sizes!
In addition, Chinese Canadians are very fond of eating Chinese food, which has been slightly adjusted to the tastes of modern Canadians. Yes, they order this food often. In films, in American films, you can see this. It's very popular here. It is very common to order pizza to order. Especially if there is some kind of sporting competition going on - either tennis, or football, or hockey, or soccer, it doesn’t matter. People simply eat these pizzas in huge numbers. This is probably where the problem of obesity comes from, which, in general, is also relevant for modern society. But it is not as relevant as for the American one. Still, I believe that in Canada there are much fewer very overweight people than in America.
In addition, I note that if you order a portion at a restaurant, the portions in America are simply huge. And here the portions are usually very large too. One serving is enough to feed two, and sometimes even three people.
That is, when you come to a restaurant, be sure to look at the size of the portion, so as not to waste money. It’s better to ask for an extra plate and say that you will divide this portion, say, between two or three. This is handled very calmly and they will simply bring you extra cutlery and an extra plate.
Haute cuisine is clearly not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Canada. To be honest, for a long time I was convinced that in terms of gastronomy, apart from burgers and fries, there wasn’t much to try in the country. But after living here for some time, I discovered Canadian cuisine from an unexpected and delicious side. Each province has its own traditional dish, for example, in the eastern part of the country, fried young ferns (Sauteed Fiddleheads) are very popular, and in Quebec, ice cream is made in winter by mixing snow and maple syrup.
In large cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, you can find restaurants for every taste and budget: from luxurious establishments with haute cuisine and Michelin stars to unusual places specializing in a particular dish. For anyone with a sweet tooth (like me), I recommend checking out this cafe in Toronto, where they serve the most delicious cinnamon rolls in all of Ontario.
History and food
The diversity of Canadian cuisine, in my opinion, is largely due to the history of the country. With the beginning of British colonization in the 15th century Since the 15th century and the first colonizers from Britain, new settlers brought their familiar foodstuffs to the territory along with political influence. French rule established Quebec's place as the cheese-making center of modern Canada. Also, do not forget about the influence of close neighbors - with the idea of fast and affordable food. For example, the iconic Canadian diner Tim Hortons was modeled after American coffee and donut fast food outlets. To this day, many Canadians cannot imagine a workday morning without coffee and a muffin from Tim Hortons. I, in turn, recommend trying their hot cheese sandwiches.
Thanks to a significant proportion of immigrants in the population, Canada can be called a country with a truly diverse cuisine. For example, home to many immigrants from China, it has already become something of a center for Asian food, and Toronto, with its large Russian community, has about 60 Russian restaurants and bistros.
Main Products and Ingredients
When preparing meals, Canadians prefer seasonal and local products. These are vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cabbage, etc.), meat (in Canada, in my opinion, great steaks), poultry (also game), seafood (especially in coastal provinces), milk, eggs, and so on. What is unusual is the widespread use of maple syrup. It's poured on everything from sweet pastries to bacon omelettes and fried pork. To be honest, I never got used to the idea of eating a sweet omelet, so I prefer the classic version with pancakes.
Here, as in, peanut butter is very popular, and is also used in everything from spreading on toast for breakfast to adding to pasta!
In the northern provinces, meat from whales and wild animals is often served at the table.
Traditional cuisine
Due to the variety of dishes, I have divided the main gastronomic traditions in relation to the main provinces of the country. I hope this will make it easier for travelers to figure out where to try what.
Quebec
Traditionally, the cuisine of the French province includes Putin(Poutine - potatoes with sauce, bacon and cheese) and smoked meat (Smocked meet), prepared according to a kosher recipe.
Oka Cheese e is the most famous variety produced in Quebec. You can buy it at any supermarket in Montreal. For dessert, I recommend ordering sugar pie Sugar Pie with maple syrup.
Where to try
One of the best places for poutine: Chez Ma Tante in Montreal (by the way, they serve excellent hot dogs, from 7 USD per serving), and for Smocked meet, prepared according to a traditional recipe, you should look at Lester's (from 10 USD per serving) .
Ontario
One of the main attractions of the capital Ottawa is puff pastries with a sweet filling under the original name "beaver tails"(BeaverTails), my favorite kind is with apple jam and cinnamon.
In July - August, the usual boiled sweet corn enters the gastronomic arena of the province. It is eaten both as a main dish (with butter and salt) and as a side dish for barbecue.
Where to try
“Beaver tails” - at the BeaverTails Byward Market kiosk in the city center (from 5 USD), corn at the farmers market or any supermarket (from 3 USD for 3 pieces).
British Columbia
This province is a real paradise for those with a sweet tooth and seafood lovers. Nanaimo Bar Chocolate Coconut Brownie is perfect for brunch on the Vancouver waterfront or finishes off a dinner of fresh oysters and other seafood.
Where to try
The impeccable Nanaimo Bar (from 3 USD) can easily be found in any coffee shop in the homeland of the dessert, in the city of Nanaimo, which can be reached by ship from Vancouver. You will be served fresh oysters and shrimp (from 12 USD per dish) at the restaurant located in the city of Victoria.
Northern provinces
In Manitoba, many establishments serve arctic char ( Arctic Char), reminiscent of salmon, but with a milder taste. In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, fried cod (Cod Tongues) is traditionally served as an aperitif, followed by a main course ( Fish and brews), also consisting of cod and bread crumbs.
In any bar in the region you will be served traditional alcoholic drink Screech- Jamaican rum aged according to a special local recipe.
Where to try
Arctic Char - in a restaurant in Winnipeg (from 12 USD per serving), Cod Tongues - in St. John's (from 10 USD).
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Surprisingly, the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax, is known throughout Canada for its shawarma Halifax Donairs. Similar to a traditional Turkish dish, Halifax Donairs features juicy pieces of Canadian beef in pita bread with a special sauce. This dish is on my must eat list!
One of the culinary merits of the province of Prince Edward Island is mussels P.E.I. Mussels, cooked in sauce and characterized by a particularly delicate taste.
Where to try
Johnny K's Authentic Donairs serves authentic Halifax Donairs for $5 each, Sirenella's in Charlottetown is great for exploring P.E.I. Mussels (from 15 USD per dish).
10 dishes and drinks worth trying in Canada
In addition to the above delicacies, when traveling around the country, be sure to eat:
When traveling around Canada, you can not only enjoy picturesque nature, visit new cities and get acquainted with culture, but also deliciously eat something unusual!
Canadian cuisine National Canadian cuisine is a set of dishes common throughout the country. Considering that its history has its own characteristics, they could not touch on culinary traditions.
Canadian cuisine is varied and at the same time simple. Meat, vegetables, potatoes, legumes and mushrooms are widely used in the preparation of everyday and holiday dishes. In areas on the shores of the ocean, rivers and lakes, fish, freshwater and sea, are present in me. Cereals, dairy products and eggs are required in the diet. Among the heat treatment methods, frying or baking predominates. They cook mainly first courses and side dishes from cereals.
What is the difference between Canadian cuisine?
The history of the country has determined the characteristics of Canadian cuisine. It is a unique symbiosis of English and French dishes mixed with dishes of North American Indians - the indigenous peoples who lived in the territory of modern Canada. Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was complemented by the culinary traditions of new wave immigrants from Africa and Southeast Asia.
Modern Canadian recipes are popular vegetable puree soups. Not a single full meal is complete without them. The simplest and most inexpensive is pumpkin soup, which is prepared in Canadian families of varying incomes.
Desserts are served with maple syrup, which is considered the national symbol of the country. Moreover, it is used not only as a sauce for desserts or as an ingredient in baking, but also for preparing main dishes, for example, ham baked in maple syrup.
Canadian cuisine menu
Modern Canadian cuisine offers a variety of dishes, from rich vegetable puree soups to delicious desserts with maple syrup, but main meat dishes are especially popular.
National culinary traditions have no restrictions on their use. Pork, beef, lamb, hare, poultry for everyday dishes, usually steaks, roast beef or fillet brochette, and also baked whole for holiday dishes, such as Christmas turkey with lingonberry sauce.
Let's cook lunch Canadian style
Easy and affordable recipes from Canadian cuisine can be used for everyday family menus. For breakfast, you can make pancakes with maple syrup. In addition to Canada and the USA, it is produced in the Leningrad region, and it is sold in stores. For a complete lunch, choose vegetable soup, which can be prepared with meat broth. A hearty lunch will be complemented by a chic languette with stewed vegetables, beans or mushrooms. Treat your family to a delicious steak for dinner. A wide selection of Canadian desserts are characterized by the presence of maple syrup, which is much healthier than regular sugar.
Take advantage of our offers, and there will always be simple and satisfying dishes on your table, which, if decorated in an original way, will decorate the festive table. Don’t be afraid to experiment and surprise your loved ones with an unusual treat that is simple to prepare and looks unusual.
You will confuse English-speaking Canadians if you ask where you can try Canadian national cuisine. And this is not because Canadians do not respect traditions: Canadian cuisine combines the culinary traditions of European immigrants. Recipes from Anglo-Saxon, French, Italian and (attention!) Chinese cuisine are closely intertwined here.
National dishes of Canada
Among other regions, the province of Quebec is the guardian of Canada's national dishes. There are not many foods in English Canada that can be called "Canadian", with the exception of maple syrup, Nanaimo bar (no-bake cakes covered with chocolate icing, custard or vanilla cream and with a crunchy crumb inside) , buttertarts (shortbread cookies made from butter, sugar and eggs), beaver tail (fried dough dusted with powdered sugar), fiddleheads (unopened shoots of ferns) and several other striking examples.
All of these dishes are an important, if somewhat modest, part of Canadian cooking. In other respects, the cuisine of English Canada is very similar to that of the northern United States. Canadians may not even realize they have ethnic foods, especially in more urbanized areas like Toronto. If you order “beaver tail” or “heads of fern”, you may get a rather strange look at best.
Recently, there has been a trend among Canadian chefs and restaurateurs to develop local cuisine. Most major cities already have bistros that serve national dishes. This may even include game dishes such as reindeer, elk, wood grouse or wild turkey, prepared according to various European recipes.
Features of Canadian cuisine
French-Canadian cuisine
is somewhat different from the cuisine in English Canada and consists of dishes such as:
tourtière du shack (tortier) - Canadian meat pie, which was first prepared during the founding of Quebec in the 1600s;
meat pie with vegetables(potatoes and onions). The recipe was brought to the province of Quebec by English colonialists more than 200 years ago;
cretons (cretons) - minced pork fat;
ragoût de pattes (stew de pate) - braised pork feet;
plorine (lorin) - pork pie;
oreilles-de-Christ ( pork skin) - a dish made from heavily fried pork skin. Canadians prefer to eat it with fish;
poutine (poutine) - very popular throughout the country dish of French fries, cheese mass and sauce(the dish has nothing to do with politics) 🙂 ;
croquignoles (croquinole) – homemade donuts, cooked in fat;
tarte à la farlouche (tarte a la farlouche) - cake made from flour, raisins and molasses;
tarte au sucre (tarte about sucre) - sugar pie;
different types of cheeses and dishes from maple syrup. Maple syrup
- this is a national ingredient, without exaggeration. It is added when preparing desserts, used in baking and in many national dishes of Canada. Maple and maple syrup are for Canadians what birch and birch sap are for Russians :)
Everyday dishes include baked beans, peas and ham. French-Canadian cuisine also includes dishes from North America and, not surprisingly, France.
A distinctive feature of Canadian gastronomy is the culture of selling and drinking alcohol. An unknowing tourist will be deeply surprised or even disappointed if he cannot purchase beer or wine in a regular supermarket. The sale of alcohol is the prerogative of state stores and HoReCa establishments. Moreover, even some restaurants do not sell alcoholic drinks, so visitors can bring their own drinks.
One thing you will notice in almost every town is that there is at least one Chinese-Canadian restaurant. This is due to Chinese immigration to Canada, which significantly influenced Canadian culinary evolution. Chinese-Canadian restaurants serve regular Chinese cuisine, as do all fast food establishments in North America.
In the largest centers of the Chinese community - Toronto and Vancouver, you can find authentic Chinese cuisine, in no way inferior to the dishes in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Be sure to visit Chinatown at the intersection of Spadina and Dundas streets in Toronto. And if you're near the north of the city, check out the Markham area, which has recently seen a significant influx of Chinese immigrants.
Famous for its Central and Eastern European and Jewish dishes, along with local varieties of bagels and smoked meats. Thanks to many Ukrainian immigrants, you can find delicious Ukrainian dishes on the prairie, such as perogies (dumplings).
Maple syrup
If you're looking for a new experience, especially in larger cities, you'll find a wide variety of ethnic dishes from all over Europe, Asia and beyond. Here Americans will find many of their own dishes with minor differences, as well as truly Canadian products, such as candy bars and maple syrup.
Canadian national cuisine has a huge variety of dishes for every taste: from T-bone steak with a side dish to Japanese sushi (most of the salmon used to make sushi in Japan actually comes from Canada!). Review local travel brochures upon arrival, these can be picked up at almost any hotel free of charge and at any provincial or municipal tourist information center. And then getting to know Canada will turn into an exciting experience for you!
“Real Canadian food must be fried in fat. Or sprinkled with sugar.
And it’s better to do both together.”
Will and Ian Fergusson "How to be a Canadian"
Canadian cuisine has been greatly influenced by English (Anglo-Saxon) and American cuisines. The cuisine of Quebec, in which French recipes predominate, stands out. Nova Scotia is home to English, Scottish, Norwegian and Breton dishes that arrived in the former French colony of Acadia with the first European settlers in the 16th century.
However, in Canada you can find Greek, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese and Mexican restaurants. And, of course, American fast food eateries are inevitable in the country.
Recently, the culinary traditions of the indigenous people of Indian Country have been revived in Canada - the Abenaki, Algonquin, Athapaskan, Atikamek, Huron, Iroquois, Mohawk, Mi'kmaq, Naskapi.
Typically Canadian food found everywhere - succulent steaks from meat and fish. In general, Canadians love dishes made from natural meat - beefsteak, langet, roast beef. A national dish - fillet brochette(pieces of bacon fillet, mushrooms and onions, on a skewer, fried on a spit). In the country's restaurants you can try other meat and fish dishes - fried chicken, hare or rabbit stewed with vegetables, boiled venison, kidney pie, sturgeon. Appetizers usually include pate, boiled pork, smoked herring, seafood, and cheese. (Canada produces some types of cheese, such as cheddar.) For starters, Canadians eat soups made from vegetables (cauliflower, tomatoes) and broths with herbs, croutons, homemade noodles, and green beans. Favorite Canadian food is pumpkin soup and Scottish breaded potatoes (boiled jacket potatoes are cut into slices, rolled in finely chopped ham with flour and breadcrumbs, and then fried with a beaten egg).
In Quebec they prepare French onion soup, meat pies and French fries with sauce, baked with cottage cheese. In the Atlantic provinces, a popular meat pie (it can be with chicken or oysters), sprinkled with ground potatoes from which the starch has been removed.
Fish and seafood produced in the country are very tasty.
Canada's national pride - maple syrup, spring sap from the Canadian sugar maple, boiled and condensed without any additives. The extraction of maple sap was borrowed from the Indians. To collect sap, an incision is made on the trunk, at a height of approximately 20-30 cm from the ground, into which tubes are inserted leading to vessels where the sap flows. To obtain maple syrup, the sap is concentrated by evaporation. To prepare 1 liter of syrup you need 40 liters of juice. Maple syrup is added to pancakes, scones, pies and muffins. In Ottawa they prepare an unusual tasting dish - homemade ham in maple syrup.
Beer is the main drink of Canadians. The most popular varieties are "Labatt" and "Molson", as well as "Alexander Cates" in Nova Scotia, "Saint-Ambroise" in Quebec, and "Mushead" in British Columbia.
