Tradition in the plate
These are the typical recipes of our grandmothers, dishes eaten mainly on family tables at parties and gatherings, and in certain restaurants specializing in traditional cuisine. Imported by the first European settlers, it has adapted to the country's harsh climate, integrating root vegetables, game and farm-raised meat for a high-calorie result: gourgane (large broad bean) or yellow pea soup with salt pork, crêtons (ground pork terrine resembling rillettes), baked beans, duck with maple syrup, rabbit gibelotte with cider, leg stew (pork legs, potatoes and spices), pork meatball stew, cipaille (sipaille, cipâte - meat and potato pie), and a variety of tourtières (pies), originally based on game, now made with mixed pork and veal, with recipes varying from region to region (the best known : tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec). Sweet tooths will crown this hearty meal with a slice of sugar pie or a chômeur pudding. This type of cuisine is more prevalent in Eastern Canada, notably in Ontario, Quebec and Acadia in the Maritime provinces.
But beyond the traditional Canadian cuisine influenced by European settlers, the country also boasts wide-open spaces that have partially preserved ancestral traditions. Canada's aboriginal cuisine is based on a blend of hunting, fishing, gathering (berries, mushrooms, herbs, nuts, roots) and agricultural products. Aboriginals distinguish between woodfood, which is the basis of their traditional diet, and supermarket-bought white food.
Traditionally hunted game includes a large number of animals, varying according to region, such as bison (formerly), bear, moose, elk, beaver, porcupine, duck and ptarmigan in the prairies and forests. Farther north, in the Arctic steppes, caribou and musk ox are prized. Dried meat products such as pânsâwân and pemmican are commonly consumed by native plains peoples, particularly the former, which is a predecessor of jerky beef. On the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, fish, molluscs and crustaceans are an important food resource for native peoples, as are certain marine mammals. Salmon, in particular, is eaten fresh or dry-smoked to create a year-round food. In the Arctic, Inuit traditionally survive on a diet of land and sea mammals, fish and rare plant foods. Meat is eaten fresh, but is also often prepared, cached and left to ferment, as in the case ofigunaq (made from walrus meat) or kiviak (made from seal and seabirds). Snacks such as muktuk, made from the skin and blubber of bowhead, narwhal or beluga whales, are eaten plain.
Meals are often accompanied by tea and the famous native bannock, a kind of bread with the consistency of a cake. Today, native cuisine can be enjoyed in communities across the country, and some even offer more contemporary versions of their traditional diet.
Some popular specialties
They are mainly eaten on the go, and feature on the menus of many restaurants across the country, starting with the indisputable poutine, a dish of French fries topped with cheese curds andgravy. It's also available in gourmet versions (foie gras, pork pudding, lobster...), vegetarian, with world flavors... Although originally from Quebec, poutine has conquered the entire country and is now easily found from coast to coast.
There's also smoked meat, smoked beef served on rye bread or in sandwiches, accompanied by dill pickles. Montreal smoked meat is renowned across Canada, and many restaurants outside Quebec prepare it Montreal-style. In Toronto, another popular sandwich is the peameal bacon, made with cornmeal-coated bacon and homemade mustard.
In the canteens and restaurants of Eastern Canada's maritime regions, but also elsewhere in the country, summer rhymes with thelobster roll, a hot-dog bun in which a generous portion of lobster salad (or crab, shrimp, etc.) is stuffed. Freshwater fish, especially perch, haddock and halibut, is highly prized in its breaded version, accompanied by fried potatoes: the famous fish & chips dish. Although it's on the menu of most diners, pubs, breweries and the like, nothing beats the experience of tasting it in one of Ontario's Great Lakes waterfront communities, particularly along Lake Erie.
And for a sweet treat,beaver tail, a deep-fried pastry covered in chocolate and bananas, sugar and cinnamon, etc., is a must.
New trends
Today's Canadian cuisine goes beyond the clichés that have long been propagated - rightly or wrongly. Gone are the days of 1950s North American recipes, and the same goes for gourmet cuisine, which until the 2000s was all about French cooking. And it's not all fast food either. Terroir, proximity and creativity are now the watchwords of a booming culinary scene, without losing sight of roots and traditions. Let's take a look at two trends that have the wind in their sails.
Market cuisine. While for many years it was fashionable to work with products imported from the four corners of the globe, Canadian chefs are now committed to cooking with an eye to proximity, availability and seasonality. It has to be said that consumers are increasingly aware of the cause, wanting to ensure that food has travelled the shortest possible distance from field to plate, and that supplies are based on seasonal availability (e.g.: young shoots - such as fiddleheads - in spring, field fruits in summer, cucurbits in autumn...). In winter, needless to say, this concept presents some difficulties. Some chefs will also cook with Canadian craft beers or spirits, bake their own homemade bread fresh daily, or set up gardens behind the restaurant or on the roof to grow their own vegetables and herbs. Some have even gone so far as to set up an urban beehive to harvest local honey. Market cuisine has become a must, and can easily be found on the best tables in the country.
From forest to table. Canada's forests abound with succulent edibles. Used extensively in the past, especially by Aboriginal peoples who still use them today, they have been gaining in popularity in recent years among the country's restaurateurs and artisans. Wild mushrooms (chanterelle, boletus, morel, oyster mushroom, boletus...), forest vegetables and berries (saskatoon berries, cranberries, sea buckthorn, wild blueberries, chamomile berries, chicory, squash, root vegetables, elderberries...), edible plants and flowers (milkweed, monarda, tansy...), northern nuts (saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries, saskatoon berries...)....), Nordic nuts (black walnut, butternut, heartnut...), teas and herbal teas (wintergreen, Labrador tea...) or spices and herbs (balsam myrtle, samphire...), they can be enjoyed on their own or as processed products. To sample the full richness of Canada's edible forest products, restaurants specializing in boreal or northern cuisine, many of which are located in Quebec, are highly recommended.
In Quebec, we should also mention the Fourchette bleue certification program, which encourages restaurants and fishmongers to offer little-known flavours from among the many edible species of the St. Lawrence, all with a view to sustainable development and the protection of biodiversity. On the menu: Arctic surf clams, Stimpson's surf clams, soft-shell clams, green sea urchins, grey seals, certain species of algae... The Blue Fork logo is used to identify certified products in partner establishments.
Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal: gourmet capitals
They are nothing less than the country's most popular gastronomic destinations. From street food to chic rooftop restaurants, not to mention the vegan cafés that are so much in vogue these days, it's impossible to go hungry. In fact, the sheer number of options, particularly in the trendy sectors and ethnic neighborhoods of these metropolises, is almost alienating. We recommend Japanese cuisine in Vancouver, Indian in Toronto and Haitian in Montreal.
Drink local, a must!
By far the most popular, the craft beer industry has been all the rage for the past fifteen years, a trend that shows no signs of abating. Although large industrial companies dominate the market (Molson Coors, Anheuser-Busch InBev...), microbreweries andcraft breweries are springing up all over the country. They often incorporate local ingredients in the brewing process to give a distinctly regional character to the various house beers. Breweries are also the ideal place to enjoy cuisine based on regional products, and they often offer cultural and artistic programming showcasing the local scene.
Canada also produces wine. The country's most renowned wine regions are found in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, but there are also vineyards in Quebec and Nova Scotia, for example. One speciality to discover is without doubt ice wine: the grapes are harvested frozen, so that they retain a high sugar content. A pure delight!
Then there's cider, including fire and ice cider, maple liqueurs, caribou (an explosive blend of strong alcohol, red wine and herbs) and other delights from Canada's rich terroir. In recent years, the country has also embraced distillation, producing gins, vodkas and other spirits, many incorporating local herbs.
