One way to get acquainted with a country is through their food. Canadian food has a lot to offer, with both unique Canadian dishes and cuisine influenced by other cultures with their own Canadian twist!
Popular Canadian Dishes
Because of Canada's miles of Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, it's no surprise that there are many Canadian dishes that feature seafood. Cedar plank salmon, prawns, crab, and lobster rolls are 4 examples.
For both those on the coast and those who live inland, maple syrup, chicken wings and fries are common favorite foods.
Canada also has popular beef and pork dishes. Some have an international flair, such as Calgary Ginger Beef, Montreal Smoked Meat, and Tourtière, a French-inspired meat pie.
Favorite Canadian Desserts
Many people like to eat something sweet after dinner, and Canadians are no exception.
Some favorites in Canada include butter tarts, shortbread, beaver tails (a crispy, tail-shaped doughnut usually covered in cinnamon sugar), and Nanaimo bars, named after the city in British Columbia where they were invented.
Canadian Holiday Food
Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday in October. It features ham, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and vegetables such as potatoes, yams, and brussels sprouts. Dessert includes a variety of pies, such as apple and pumpkin.
Christmas meals also feature roast turkey along with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, and vegetables. Tourtière, a meat dish mentioned earlier in this article, is traditionally served at Christmas. In addition, there are plum puddings, Bûche de Noël (a Christmas cake in the shape of a log), and mincemeat tarts to savor. Those with Ukrainian and Polish roots also enjoy nalesniki, or Ukrainian crepes, pierogi (dumpling with fillings), and perishke (cottage cheese buns with a dill sauce).
Christmas eggnog is a tradition in Canada and a great holiday drink. Some Canadian drinks also feature maple syrup as a flavor ingredient, such as hot maple milk.
Uniquely Canadian Offerings
A trip to Canada would not be complete without a visit to Tim Hortons shops, a favorite restaurant chain that serves warm drinks (such as hot chocolate and white hot chocolate milk) and doughnuts as well as other fast-food items including timbits, a type of doughnut hole.
Poutine, made of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, originated in Quebec and is also a Canadian favorite. It can be found all over Canada, including many fast-food restaurants.
A favorite breakfast food found in Canada is peameal bacon, unsmoked pork loin rolled in cornmeal. In Canada, bacon that includes a cut from the back of the pig is usually called "back bacon."
Bannock (a type of fry bread), Caribou stew, and Saskatoon berries (a type of berry found mainly on the plains of Canada) are foods tied to specific regions and cultures in Canada, each with their own unique history.
Learning More about Your Heritage
Do you want to know more about your Canadian heritage? Check out the country pages at FamilySearch, and try out some of the Canadian heritage recipes. You may find a new favorite dish! Be sure to share them with your family. You can also add your family's favorite Canadian recipes to your memories on FamilySearch and tag the person they remind you of most.
Thank you to Brenda Diakur, who contributed valuable information for this blog post!
More about Canadian Ancestry on the FamilySearch Blog
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