Food Tourism in Canada: 10 Dishes You Have to Try, and Where You Can Try Them
Food tourism is all about travelling beyond your neighbourhood to experience new tastes. It can be as far as another country, or as close as another city. Food experiences are at the core of international travel, which is why Centennial College created its own food tourism program to help you turn it into a career. You can learn about food, business and culture in this practical program, taught in our kitchen labs at our Culinary Arts Centre. You can learn to work in tourism and culinary establishments, write about food, or establish local food movements. But you don’t need to travel abroad to find unusual cuisine. There’s plenty of it, right here in Canada, like these national staples. If you’re an international student, here’s what’s unique in Canadian cuisine, and what you should be trying now that you’re here. And if you’re Canadian, have you tried all of these? To help you find where to try them, there’s some links to BlogTO to help you out, as well as some other sources.
Also known as “Fried Dough,” it’s a sweet, doughy treat, called Beaver Tail in Canada because of its shape. It’s typically served at carnivals or from food stands. The real fun comes in the different toppings that you can put on it, which range from sweet (chocolate and cinnamon) to savoury (tomato sauce and garlic butter)
A quintessential Canadian pastry, it’s butter, syrup, sugar and egg inside a flaky pastry, shaped like a miniature, bite-sized pie. Sometimes, pecans and other nuts are added to the mix. We love our maple syrup, and this delivers it in bite-sized form.
Traditional to eastern Canada’s fishing communities (as well as New England in the U.S.), the Lobster Roll is lobster meat soaked in butter, served on a hot dog bun. You can mix in lettuce, lemon juice, spices, or other extra toppings.
Everyone knows this one. A sweet, sticky topping derived from sap from the maple tree, served on pancakes, or anything else that needs sweetening. It’s even good for you, as the Toronto Star article linked above reveals.
A home-grown version of the popular breakfast bread. Unlike the more common New York-style bagel, it’s small, thin, dense, boiled in honey-sweetened water, and baked in a wood-fired oven.
Montreal-style smoked meat
A special kind of salted, cured beef brisket that’s been, as the name says, smoked. Best served sliced, hot, and on rye bread with mustard, and best eaten in Montreal.
Named for the British Columbia town where it was created, Nanaimo Bars are a unique, bake-free dessert, a bar made of layers of wafer, custard, chocolate and icing.
Also called Canadian bacon, this specific type of bacon is made from lean, boneless pork loin that’s been rolled in cornmeal. If you’re in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market (voted one of the best markets in the world), getting it on a sandwich is a must.
Another one we all know: French fries, gravy and cheese curds, mixed together.
Another dish from Quebec, Tourtiere is a kind of meat pie made with beef, pork, or veal.
By Anthony Geremia