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The Ten Most Recent Comments By tasteful

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

Canada has a strong culinary identity which is distinguished by local ingredients, and many different cultures. The same as any other country in the world there are several regions.

They love blueberry wine in the east.

Newfoundland is similar to English food. Peas pudding, salt meat, jigs dinner, bubble and squeak. There aren't many fruits and vegetables around, because Newfoundland is a giant rock. So its mostly root veg, preserved meats, and seafood.

Nova Scotia has lots of sea food. They have saltwater Taffy, which is a highly addictive chewy candy.

Quebec is extremely french. You will find tons of local cheese and charcuterie. Cheese curd and great foie. They also have sugar pie, and maple syrup soup (which I've seen with and without rhubarb.) Poutine and Montreal smoked meat are some of the more famous ones.

You can find beaver tails throughout Canada which are actually fried dough, coated in various toppings in the shape of a beaver tail.

In Toronto, it is one of the most multi cultural places in the world. There is good Greek food, Jamaican food, Indian food, Chinese food, Japanese food...you get the picture. If you want it you got it. The cuisine of Toronto sprouts from this inspiration. There are great farms in Ontario with great local products.

In Alberta they have tons of beef. As a result, they eat tons of beef.

Throughout Canada there are many varieties of game animals. Its not unusual to see a bison burger, or have venison on the menu at a nice place.
Fiddle heads are extremely Canadian. We also have wild mushrooms in the West of canada.

On a whole, we have good beer, lots of doughnuts, and some flannel. There are even Native Canadian Chefs that are innovating traditional Native Canadian food.

http://www.cookingwiththewolfman.com/season6/

tasteful at 6:30PM on 04/10/08

Responses to Comments by tasteful

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

Torontonians are not the most well-liked people in Canada. I grew up in central Ontario and moved to the GTA a few years ago. They are very snobby and rude, I guess they are the American equivalent of New Yorkers. Must be because its city life.

As for cuisine, most people have touched on it. Wild game, seafood, poutine, maple syrup, beavertails (but I grew up with them being called Moosetongues), peameal bacon etc.

The prepared foods in Canada are unique, such as dill pickle chips, coffee crisp, crispy crunch, kraft dinner, and Tim Hortons. Other than that, I think our cuisine is very similar to American.

bellasly at 4:01PM on 04/15/08

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

@2muchfood, slightly OT, but I have heard that Torontians (sp?) are so uptight and rude - what gives?

BITTER at 1:38PM on 04/13/08

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

Geez, there's a lot of comments here! Okay, my step-mother and step-sister are Canadian, and one of the things I remember most is breakfast, which was a bird-in-a-nest and some real pea meal bacon. Bird in a nest is basically an egg fried into the center (or, in Canada, "the centre") of a piece of toast. That bit you removed is also toasted in the pan, for dipping. This can be done on any side of the border where a slice of bread and an egg can be found, but what about the bacon? Believe it or not, it can be had (for a price!) here in the good ol' U-S-of-A, at a place called ...

Real Canadian Bacon

You can get it sliced or in roasts. If you're well heeled enough, you can get it by the gross, if you want. I find it's not too far off of the "real" stuff, but with a lot of extra water added that cooks out. What I've not done (and should) is a whole roast, THEN sliced.

Anyway, chips-n-gravy, chips-n-curds, amazing steaks served with butter on top, and great game. That, along with some good produce in the summer puts off the "I can't be bothered with you" attitude you sometimes get in Toronto.

2muchfood at 5:13PM on 04/12/08

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

@tasteful - thanks so much for breaking it down for me.

BITTER at 2:42PM on 04/11/08

From Talk

Canadian Cuisine?

I live in Nwe York state just 5 minutes from Niagara Falls, when it was easy to cross the bridge into Canada without waiting a hour like it is now I would go there for groceries, my mom grew up in Toronto and we love to cook. There are some things we buy there that I can't get in the US. It was always good to go when the US dollar was worth more. Now all the Canadians are flocking across to the US because most places take the Canadian$ at par. Whenever I go anywhere shopping there are more Canadian cars in the parking lot than New York ones. It has even gotten to where the Canadian shoppers don't want to declare thier purchases at the boarder so they wear old clothing to the US and toss them anywehre they feel like (in our malls & parking lots) and wear the new clothing & shoes home. On a Sunday afternoon when the mall closes we are left with a huge mess! ANd they are SO RUDE!!!!!

joanpieroni2 at 8:06PM on 04/10/08