Chelli Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 We are finishing up our study of Canada this week, and I need your help. I'm having trouble coming up with "traditional" Canadian foods. I remember a dish being referenced during the Winter Olympics a few years back that was something like french fries covered in gravy. Does this ring any bells or am I losing my mind? If you have any other suggestions of recipes or foods that are Canadian, I would be most appreciative. Canada has been super hard to find info about. I think there were a handful of books in our local library. It has proven more difficult to find Canadian resources than it was to find resources about the African countries we've studied. You would think proximity would make it easier! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Google "poutine" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Butter tarts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Yep, that would be poutine :scared: On the sweet side there are nanaimo bars and butter tarts. There are also beaver tails which are essentially large pieces of dough fried and then sugared. On the savory side there is tourtiere. I'm sure there are other items but those are the first that come to mind. I'd go with tourtiere personally :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Pemmican :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Yes, poutine is the gravy and french fry dish. My french canadian husband introduced us to salmon pie (i followed some comments and cut potatoes to 4 and used a larger can of red salmon) and pate chinois (which is a shepherds pie consisting of ground beef cooked with onions, creamed corn, and mashed potatoes). Not exactly healthy stuff lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Yep, that would be poutine :scared: On the sweet side there are nanaimo bars and butter tarts. There are also beaver tails which are essentially large pieces of dough fried and then sugared. On the savory side there is tourtiere. I'm sure there are other items but those are the first that come to mind. I'd go with tourtiere personally :D Beaver tails are wonderful. We spent four days in Ottawa in 2010 waiting for the air space over Europe to clear so we could fly to France, and we all became very fond of beaver tails. At least in Ottawa, the topping choices go far beyond sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Yum! Beaver tails. It has been a long time since I had one. Poutine is also good. They now have ones with extra toppings besides the gravy and cheese. They even now have a restaurant were everything is a poutine. You can feel your artiers clogging when you eat them. I liked the idea - but not the reality of them. http://smokespoutinerie.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Moose. Salmon. Maple syrup. Fiddleheads. Wild berries.English-Canadian colonial food. Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.French-Canadian colonial food.First Nations/Inuit food.Kraft dinner. You might enjoy the slideshow here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Beaver tails are wonderful. We spent four days in Ottawa in 2010 waiting for the air space over Europe to clear so we could fly to France, and we all became very fond of beaver tails. At least in Ottawa, the topping choices go far beyond sugar. Yep, I've heard that they've branched out to include swiss cheese, nutella, various nut butters, fruit and the like. Were you there during Winterlude? They sell them right down there on the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Pâté Chinois...it is a French Canadian dish that is like a shepherd's pie. DH's family makes it...over the generations they moved from France to Montreal to NY to all over! I cannot get the link to work but there is a Wikipedia article about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Oh, and the kids can't have it but if you drink alcohol, you and your DH could try some ice wine from Niagara region. And the kids could have a Canada Dry Ginger Ale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Fish and brewis form Newfoundland. You probably won't be able to find the hard bread though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Tortiere from Quebec. Persians from Thunder Bay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 From the First Nations people - bannock. And wild rice in this area. And Canadian Smarties. Not those horrid, powdery things called Smarties in the US. Real Smarties. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Yeah, the ice wine is SWEET, literally! and i think the meat pie is the same as the tortiere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 From the First Nations people - bannock. And wild rice in this area. And Canadian Smarties. Not those horrid, powdery things called Smarties in the US. Real Smarties. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties They are called Rockets in Canada. When we go back to Canada, Canadian smarties are one of many things we bring back to the US Kinder surprise eggs are another chocolate you can't get in the US. They are illegal here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 They are called Rockets in Canada. When we go back to Canada, Canadian smarties are one of many things we bring back to the US Kinder surprise eggs are another chocolate you can't get in the US. They are illegal here. Rockets. Blech. :) Be careful taking Kinder Surprise eggs back into the States. I was once interrogated by a US customs officer as to whether or not the birthday gift bag we were bringing to a friend's birthday party contained Kinder eggs as presents. If it did, she was going to have to confiscate them. Luckily, there were no Kinder eggs in the gift bag. We were safe. Don't admit to importing Kinder eggs, people!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Ukrainian food is traditional western Canadian food for me: perogies, cabbage rolls, kubasa sausage, washed down with a shot of Vodka From the eastern Ontario/Quebec: Maple sugar pie, maple sugar candy cooled on snow Montreal Smoked meat on rye bread From the east coast: Lobster, crab, seafood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Yep, I've heard that they've branched out to include swiss cheese, nutella, various nut butters, fruit and the like. Were you there during Winterlude? They sell them right down there on the ice. Yes, you can still get the traditional Beavertail with cinnamon and sugar, or my favourite has fresh squeezed lemon on the cinnamon and sugar! They definitely taste best when eaten while skating on the Rideau Canal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Rockets. Blech. :) Be careful taking Kinder Surprise eggs back into the States. I was once interrogated by a US customs officer as to whether or not the birthday gift bag we were bringing to a friend's birthday party contained Kinder eggs as presents. If it did, she was going to have to confiscate them. Luckily, there were no Kinder eggs in the gift bag. We were safe. Don't admit to importing Kinder eggs, people!!! :D They don't last that long once the kids get them. lol Eaten within minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Ketchup potato chips! Apparently not widely available outside of Canada (gasp!!). Traditional foods tend to be very regional. Here in the Acadian region of Nova Scotia, rappiere or rappie pie is very traditional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 From the First Nations people - bannock. And wild rice in this area. And Canadian Smarties. Not those horrid, powdery things called Smarties in the US. Real Smarties. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties They call Rockets Smarties in the US??? *shocked face*. My little sisters do love their spray cheese in a can though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Ketchup potato chips! Apparently not widely available outside of Canada (gasp!!). Traditional foods tend to be very regional. Here in the Acadian region of Nova Scotia, rappiere or rappie pie is very traditional. We used to only be able to get ketchup potato chips in Canada but a few years ago we started getting Herr's Ketchup potato chips here. I had a friend who'd drive to the duty free shop to get Pringles Ketchup Flavor about once a month or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Oh wow, ketchup potato chips. I remember those and not with fondness. But I've never heard of Rockets. They were always called Smarties where I grew up. And don't forget Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp and the best of the bunch, Crunchie bars :drool5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Oh wow, ketchup potato chips. I remember those and not with fondness. But I've never heard of Rockets. They were always called Smarties where I grew up. And don't forget Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp and the best of the bunch, Crunchie bars :drool5: They do nothing for me, either. The color is off-putting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Oh wow, ketchup potato chips. I remember those and not with fondness. But I've never heard of Rockets. They were always called Smarties where I grew up. And don't forget Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp and the best of the bunch, Crunchie bars :drool5: Powell's Books sells Crunchies (and Flakes) sometimes, and I have a friend who sends us six bars every Christmas. Mmmmmmmmm. I never liked Ketchup chips, but could tolerate all dressed. Salt and Vinegar has always been my favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I miss ketchup chips too. We have a hard time finding salt and vinegar chips at the stores here. And no caramel cakes either. Oh henry bars, tetley tea, tim horton's coffee, donuts/timbits, sour cherry balls, holly berries, quality street chocolate, black diamond cheese, winnipeg rye bread, ED Smith jam, chocolate milk with no HFCS, dill pickle and salt and vinegar popcorn seasoning, Spike seasoning. We even find that the taco and chili seasonings taste different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I miss ketchup chips too. We have a hard time finding salt and vinegar chips at the stores here. And no caramel cakes either. Oh henry bars, tetley tea, tim horton's coffee, donuts/timbits, sour cherry balls, holly berries, quality street chocolate, black diamond cheese, winnipeg rye bread, ED Smith jam, chocolate milk with no HFCS, dill pickle and salt and vinegar popcorn seasoning, Spike seasoning. We even find that the taco and chili seasonings taste different. I was so excited when I saw the local pub started stocking HP Sauce, and fairly drenched my hamburger with it. Blech! Ptooie! Sweet, sweet, sweet. I wanted to cry. I don't understand why Americans seem to either sugar things up or coat them in mayonnaise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 That said, the food in Portland is miles above anything I grew up eating... (ETA in small town Southwest Ontario). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Musk Ox. I had Musk Ox tenderloin at a restaurant in Vancouver, and it was the best meat I've ever had (by a long shot). I dunno if Musk Ox is "common" in Canada, or if this place was just odd, but mmmmm. Good! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I was so excited when I saw the local pub started stocking HP Sauce, and fairly drenched my hamburger with it. Blech! Ptooie! Sweet, sweet, sweet. I wanted to cry. I don't understand why Americans seem to either sugar things up or coat them in mayonnaise. HP sauce, another little trip down memory lane! I grew up with this as well as C&B's mint sauce--not the day-glo green jelly :eek: but the real deal, a nice vinegary-sweet sauce loaded up with mint leaves. Some of these things you can get at Vermont Country Store. Traveling a little further into the overgrowth of memory lane I see...Crumpets, Tiptree/Dundee/Robertson's marmalade (extra tart) and Crerar's Buckwheat honey :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 However carrying this little Proustian metaphor further and tripping on some tangled vines I fall flat on my face to come face to face with bbq chicken potato chips, wagon wheels and...milk in bags :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 HP sauce, another little trip down memory lane! I grew up with this as well as C&B's mint sauce--not the day-glo green jelly :eek: but the real deal, a nice vinegary-sweet sauce loaded up with mint leaves. Some of these things you can get at Vermont Country Store. Traveling a little further into the overgrowth of memory lane I see...Crumpets, Tiptree/Dundee/Robertson's marmalade (extra tart) and Crerar's Buckwheat honey :drool: I'm able to get both Dundee and Robertson's here... as well as lemon curd and clotted cream, and decent mincemeat for tarts (I'm far too lazy to make my own... although I have a friend who does). Haven't seen Tiptree recently, though I've not been to the British store for a couple years. There's a grocery chain here with a small British section in one of it's locations; you sometimes see people getting a picture holding a can of spotted dick. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 However carrying this little Proustian metaphor further and tripping on some tangled vines I fall flat on my face to come face to face with bbq chicken potato chips, wagon wheels and...milk in bags :ack2: I can't say I've ever missed buying milk in bags. :lol: Wagon Wheels scared me... not sure why, and I've thankfully never seen those chips. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 There's a grocery chain here with a small British section in one of it's locations; you sometimes see people getting a picture holding a can of spotted dick. :tongue_smilie: :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I can't say I've ever missed buying milk in bags. :lol: Wagon Wheels scared me... not sure why, and I've thankfully never seen those chips. :ack2: Wagon Wheels were vile, fear is probably the appropriately invoked emotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 We went to PEI this summer and the kids are hooked on kinder eggs. They are obsessed with watching youtube videos of people opening their eggs. Kind of weird on both ends of you ask me. I do wish we had brought some kinder eggs home with us though. They would be the quintessential stocking stuffer in this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Oh and poutine is awesome. And lobster poutine is out of this world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Canadian oreos are better than American ones. Anything with maple syrup. Poutine is kind of gross imvho. Seal :) My part of the world is salmon, non-salmon seafood (crab, clams), berry relatives of raspberry (salmonberry, gooseberry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Its funny, the first time the family handed me some poutine to try, it just tasted like food to me. It was hard to explain. But really, its french fries and cheese and gravy . . . yeah, whatever, its food. I've had plenty of mush-a-bunch-of-things-together-with-cheese-and-eat-it meals, esp when I was a vegetarian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Its funny, the first time the family handed me some poutine to try, it just tasted like food to me. It was hard to explain. But really, its french fries and cheese and gravy . . . yeah, whatever, its food. I've had plenty of mush-a-bunch-of-things-together-with-cheese-and-eat-it meals, esp when I was a vegetarian. Fries and gravy was pretty common (and the staple food in my high school cafeteria), at least where I grew up. So poutine was just "fries and gravy" with cheese curds added, exotic only because it was Quebecois. Now poutine seems to be everywhere. Oh, that reminds me. If the OP isn't up to making poutine, they can have fries with white vinegar and salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liber Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Canadian oreos are better than American ones. Anything with maple syrup. Poutine is kind of gross imvho. Seal :) My part of the world is salmon, non-salmon seafood (crab, clams), berry relatives of raspberry (salmonberry, gooseberry) I forgot about Oreos tasting different. So does the Kraft dinner. Dulse is another food from the maritimes. I think it is an acquired taste. I love it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 But what about the Musk Ox? If one can get this easily all over Canada, I have to contemplate migrating :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 What is a Kraft dinner? It's what Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is called in Canada. The formulation is a bit different. Never liked the stuff, no matter what you call it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 But what about the Musk Ox? If one can get this easily all over Canada, I have to contemplate migrating :D Bill It's not at all common, but it's being marketed as a high end product internationally (think Kobe beef) with the aid the Crown corporation Nunavut Development Corp. You probably had some at a "showcase" restaurant. I have no idea how successful the efforts have been. Quotas are pretty strict, so supply is limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Huh...anyone want to send me some Kraft dinner? Now I'm intrigued. LOL Kraft Dinner content at 2:50-ish :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Back bacon, whoopie pies, Tim's coffee, President's Choice Candy Cane Ice Cream, Laura Secord chocolates. poutine, beaver tails, cabbage rolls, pierogies, salt and vinegar everything, interesting flavors of potato chips, nanaimo bars, little tarts... You can also try putting milk in a ziplock bag and cut a tiny corner and try pouring it on your cereal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 President's Choice Candy Cane Ice Cream, Laura Secord chocolates.... You can also try putting milk in a ziplock bag and cut a tiny corner and try pouring it on your cereal. We had that ice cream at Christmastime! And I remember enjoying PC Chocolate Chip cookies too. I think Laura Secord is the Canadian equivalent of See's. LOL at the ziplock idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 Yep, that would be poutine :scared: On the sweet side there are nanaimo bars and butter tarts. There are also beaver tails which are essentially large pieces of dough fried and then sugared. On the savory side there is tourtiere. I'm sure there are other items but those are the first that come to mind. I'd go with tourtiere personally :D Thanks so much for the links to the recipes! I've decided to make the tourtiere from above and the nanaimo bars for dessert (those look sooooo good!). We'll have poutine for lunch one day this week as well. As for the other Canadian foods referenced, thanks for those as well. Although I must say that ketchup flavored potato chips and musk ox (sorry, Bill) had my gag reflexes working overtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.