Canuck Cuisine

One of my favorite things to do is experience the local cuisine of the places that we visit.

What is Canadian Cuisine?  Of course Canadian bacon and maple syrup come to mind but what about some of the Canadian specialties such as poutine or beavertails?

This video from Time is a great introduction to these two specialties.  Take a look here!

Poutine (poo-TEEN, or puh-TSIN) is a popular fast food in Canada... it's found all over Canada but originated in French Quebec. The name means "mess" in French, and that it is. Poutine's popularity has spread throughout Canada since the dish first appeared in the 1950s. It's basically French fries, gravy and cheese curds... sounds disgusting but research tells me that it's worth a try!

There's even a poutine primer, Poutine 101!  Though the "real" poutine is made with white potatoes, there are several alternative versions that are made with sweet potatoes and even lobster!  Oh my.. I can't begin to imagine having lobster with gravy & cheese; that version I won't be sampling!

Next up:  Beavertails!  President Obama had one and declared it delicious when he visited Canada in 2009!  A beavertail is a fried pastry that is hand shaped to resemble a beaver's tail.  It's deep fried and usually sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.  I've read that the chocolate and chocolate banana beavertails are quite tasty too.  Be sure to get an authentic Beavertail... it's a brand but there are lots of  "knock-offs" around too.

A doughnut from Tim Horton's  is another of the top Canadian foods to try!  I won't have any problem with that! (I wonder if they resemble the Southern gourmet doughnut, Krispy Kremes?).  Tim Horton's is a Canadian fast food chain known for doughnuts and coffee; many Canadians start their day with a cup of Timmy's coffee.   It was founded in 1964 by Tim Horton, a Canadian hockey player.

'Nuff about fries and pastries... how about the meat and seafood?  It's not difficult to find meat on  menus in Canada and game is popular so set your taste buds to try elk, buffalo, deer and moose.  Me?  I'm ready for some Canadian cedar planked salmon!

Hey!  What about maple syrup?  You can't come to Canada without sampling its most famous export. Try it first thing in the morning smothered over pancakes and bacon or as a snack in one of its many guises: maple candy, maple butter, maple donuts, maple cotton candy, maple coffee, maple chocolate – even maple barbecue sauce!

Canada is also famous for it's local brews. Check out this website for a list of breweries in British Columbia... you'll be amazed!

This is a yummy recipe that I discovered while research Canadian foods.  Enjoy!

Canadian Bacon with Maple Glaze

Ingredients

• ½ cup cider vinegar
• ¾ cups maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 pound (approximately) Canadian bacon

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. Combine vinegar, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Slice Canadian bacon about ½-inch thick. Arrange the slices in a casserole or baking dish, and spoon the syrup mixture over the slices.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. (To serve as a snack, cut slices into bite-sized pieces and serve with toothpicks.)

Serves 6 for lunch or dinner, or 15 to 20 as a snack.