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Canada is easily one of the most multicultural countries in the world. As such, Canadian food is an interesting collage of dishes from several cultures, ranging from its indigenous people, 17th-18th century settlers and subsequent waves of migrants in more recent decades. What’s eaten across the country also varies by region with seafood being most popular along its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and game meat like caribou and seals being a major source of protein in the Northwest Territories. In Ontario, their diet consists of the foods which we associate with “western culture” like pancakes and burgers, but there are subtle differences distinguishing Canadian food from American food. Read on to learn more about how I explored Canada through its food & drink.
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What’s Inside
Poutine
PoutineEvery source I read online said that poutine is a Canadian food you need to try. Poutine originated in Quebec in the 1950s and consists of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. While celebrated as a symbol of Québécois culture, poutine is now eaten across all of Canada. Several poutinerie chains exist such as Smoke’s Poutinerie and New York Fries but you can also get poutine at American fast food franchises in Canada such as KFC, McDonald’s and Wendy’s. The only poutine I had was from New York Fries, and I chose one topped with chili, bacon bits and scallions. While it tasted OK, it wasn’t memorable but you be the judge!
Maple Syrup
Stock PhotoNorth America’s indigenous people were the first to have produced maple syrup from the sap of maple trees. These trees were traditionally tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the sap, which was heated to evaporate much of the water, leaving behind the concentrated syrup. Today, Canada and the USA accounts for almost all of the world’s maple syrup production and export, with the Canadian province of Quebec alone accounting for 70% of global maple syrup production. So of course, I had access to excellent maple syrup everywhere and had it on pancakes and waffles. Maple syrup and its confections such as taffy are Canadian foods you must try, and if you get to experience a maple farm and sugar shack experience then go right ahead! Maple season runs from early March to late April. Also, beware of imitation syrups which are made from corn syrup instead!
BeaverTails
No beavers were harmed in the making of BeaverTails! BeaverTails is a Canadian restaurant chain which specializes in doughnuts that are individually hand stretched to resemble beaver tails and topped with cinnamon and sugar, among other things. Mine was served warm and topped with chocolate hazelnut spread. Absolutely delicious!
Per capita, the largest concentration of doughnut shops in the world exist in Canada!
Since we’re on the topic of dessert, I have to shout out the Tim Horton Canadian maple donut and the fudge I had from the Fudge Factory in Niagara Falls. Absolutely moreish!
Canadian Coffeehouses
Canada is listed as the 9th largest consumer of coffee worldwide, so it’s no surprise that there’s a coffeeshop on every block! Canada has a huge coffee culture, so it’s fitting that I made my first French press brew in Canada rather than having my usual homemade Jamaican instant Blue Mountain coffee. Visiting coffee shops are a must in Canada. I dined at Tim Hortons, Canada’s largest coffeehouse and restaurant chain, as well as a local coffee shop in Kingston called Coffee & Company. As an aside, I may have to invest in a French press!
Canadian Beer
Canada produces first-rate wines, ice wines, ciders, whiskeys, rums, vodkas, beers and gins. I love touring distilleries in Jamaica, so seeing at least one winery, brewery, distillery or cidery was a must for me. Thankfully, I was able to meet up with a friend who lived about an hour away from my Airbnb and check out one of Kingston’s craft breweries! Craft beer is made using real malts in small batches, making it much more flavourful than regular beer. We toured the Daft Brewery and I enjoyed a veggie burrito while savouring a flight of 6 craft beers on tap. I implore you to tour a winery, brewery or distillery while in Canada.
Other foods which came up on my radar of must-try traditional Canadian foods which I didn’t get around to eating were:
- Bannock
- Butter tarts
- Nova Scotia lobster rolls
- Peameal bacon
- Split Pea Soup
- Tourtière
I also missed out on the Caesar cocktail, Canada’s national drink, which is made primarily with tomato juice, vodka, clam broth and Worcestershire sauce. I’m afraid that’s all I came across on the Internet for traditional Canadian food & drink. Please enlighten me in the comments section if I missed something. Last, but not least let’s talk about:
International Food
As I mentioned earlier, Canada has a large migrant population and when people move, they carry their food and culture with them. As such, you can try just about every type of cuisine in the world in Canada, but I only got around to having:
- Italian: arancini (stuffed rice balls), pizza at Antica in Niagara Falls (huge favourite!)
- Mexican: a burrito bowl at the Fresh Burrito Mexican chain
- Chinese: sweet & sour pork and fried rice at Silver Wok in Kingston
- Indian: chicken tikka masala at Daal Roti in Kingston (huge favourite!)
- Thai: hot & sour soup, chicken dumplings and pad ew sew with chicken at Thai Express in Kingston.
S/O to my relatives who made great Jamaican food while I was there, and to my Airbnb’s microwave and toaster oven which I used to make most of my meals so I could save money. Throwback to my college days of making scrambled eggs, oatmeal and pasta in the microwave, ha! I had to draw for those “recipes” here. I also enjoyed having my meals by the window so I could watch all the cute scampering squirrels which were hardly up to any good.
Wrap Up
Several Canadians and two Jamaican travel enthusiasts told me I need to venture to French Canada, particularly Montreal, to try more foods and see another side of the country. I’m keeping this in mind. Let me know, what’s a must try for next time? This is a wrap on my Canadian series, at least for now, so let me know if you enjoyed it. Canada brought my country count to # 5, and all in all, Canada was good to me. ‘Til next time.
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:
- What I Ate & Drank in Peru
- A Day in Downtown, Toronto
- 48 Hours in Niagara Falls
- Visiting Kingston, Ontario
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