What to eat British Columbia? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Although culturally different from Eastern Canada in many aspects, Western Canada as a whole has a cuisine that is common to the rest of the country, with many eating habits and specialties that are more widely found throughout North America.

The migration of Francophones from the east to the Pacific coast has introduced some Quebec culinary specialties, such as tourtière, called meat pie in English-speaking Canada, which is served at Christmas time. This hearty pie is usually garnished with pork, beef or veal with potatoes and onions. This is also the case with poutine, which, although Quebecois, has made its way into western Canada. For those who are not yet familiar with it despite its astonishing popularity in France, it is a dish of French fries topped with a rich gravy - meat sauce - and topped with curd cheese

As the gateway for Asians to Canada, British Columbia, and particularly the city of Vancouver, offers a mixed gastronomy whose specialties have eventually spread to the rest of the country. Until the Second World War, Vancouver's Japanese Quarter was one of the largest in North America. Small, not necessarily charming but efficient restaurants are everywhere, where you can enjoy sushi, ramen oronigri, not to mention the growing number of izakaya (Japanese taverns), which are a little more trendy. Vancouver is even said to be the birthplace of the california rolls, a paternity disputed by Los Angeles. The same proportion of Chinese and Korean establishments serve ginger beef, a Chinese-Canadian specialty from Calgary, consisting of fried strips of beef topped with a spicy ginger sauce. A trend that continues even on the street-food side. The most daring stomachs will also be able to try sushi pizza or Japan-dogs, hot dogs with wazabi or another Japanese sauce of your choice. Otherwise, more typical, smoked meat is smoked on rye bread or in a sandwich, accompanied by dill pickles.

On the sweet side, Western Canada has sweets that are once again close to those found in the rest of the country, although there are a few unique recipes. These include beaver tails or elephant ears, large flat doughnuts topped with melted chocolate or caramelized apples. You can't miss the cinnamon buns or cinnamon rolls, which are cinnamon-flavoured buns topped with a thick icing. Just like the carrot cake, richly seasoned with orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and ground ginger. Another sweet snack ideal for tea, date squares are small square biscuits filled with date purée in a crumbly oatmeal dough. Nanaimo bars are named after the eponymous town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, with three layers: a thick coconut wafer, a layer of custard and then topped with chocolate ganache. Candy apples, known as candy

While France generally has legislation that could be considered relatively flexible with respect to the sale and consumption of alcohol, the same cannot be said for Canada. The sale of alcohol in France is only permitted in provincially certified stores, such as Liquor Stores. Its consumption is also regulated: outside private spaces, alcohol can only be consumed in licensed places and businesses. For example, the consumption of alcohol on the street, on the beach or in parks is prohibited in British Columbia. A detail that is important to clarify and that can quickly be forgotten in the face of the general relaxation of Canadians.

Beer is the drink par excellence that accompanies all dishes. Canada is a big producer of it. Several large companies dominate the market: Molson, founded by an Englishman in 1782, is the oldest company in America, but there are also Labatt, Sleeman, etc., which are also the largest producers. These beers are served bottled or draught (here we say "en fût") and have a strength of 5°. But the beers that really deserve our attention are those of the microbreweries, which are multiplying everywhere in Canada. Among those in the West are the Vancouver Island Brewery, the Wild Rose Brewery in Calgary, the Granville Island Brewery Vancouver and the Whistler Brewery. Canada also producesice beer

Surprisingly, given its generally harsh climate, Canada also produces wine in small quantities. The Okanagan Valley, east of Vancouver, has a unique microclimate that is both mild and dry, especially in summer, reminiscent of California's Napa Valley. It is the second largest wine-producing region in the country after the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario. This region is also known for its fruit production more generally: table grapes, of course, apples, peaches, berries, etc. Recently, it has become possible to bring your own wine to restaurants.

But beyond the traditional Canadian cuisine influenced by European settlers, the west of the country - especially northern territories such as the Yukon - has vast expanses of land that have partially preserved ancestral traditions. Canada's Aboriginal cuisine is based on a mixture of hunting, fishing, gathering (berries, mushrooms, herbs) and agricultural products.

Traditionally hunted game includes a large number of animals, varying according to the region, such as bison, elk and elk on the prairies and in the forests. Further north, in the Arctic steppes, reindeer and muskoxen are prized. Dried meat products such as pânsâwân and pemmican are commonly consumed by the Plains Aboriginal peoples. In particular the former, which is a predecessor of jerky

In the Arctic, Inuit traditionally survived on a diet of land and marine mammals, fish and rare plant foods. Meat was eaten fresh, but it was also often prepared, cached and left to ferment, such asigunaq (made from walrus meat) or kiviak (made from seal and seabirds). Snacks such as muktuk