You don’t have to look far for great recipe inspiration. Canada is filled with tremendous flavours from coast to coast to coast! Discover a new side of Canuck cuisine right at home, with tasty recipes like blueberry grunt, bannock, and beaver tails.
1. Bannock (Throughout Turtle Island)
While some might be familiar with the Scottish bannock recipe, Indigenous peoples of Canada have been making variations of bannock for centuries pre-contact. The baked or fried dough is incredibly versatile. Serve it up with fresh jam for breakfast, top it with something savoury for dinner, or just munch away when you need a snack.
2. Donairs (Nova Scotia)
Easily one of the best late-night meals in the world, donairs are a Maritime favourite for good reason. Just know that since they’re unabashedly loaded with garlic, onions, and that iconically sweet sauce, your family might ask you to keep your distance, please.
3. Poutine (Quebec)
It’s mispronounced all the time, but as long as it’s poutine your mouth, who cares? The Quebecois invention has seen countless adaptations like shawarma poutine, butter chicken poutine, and kimchi poutine. Its ability to conquer any craving is why it tops almost every list of must-try Canadian foods.
4. Nanaimo Bars (British Columbia)
Creamy, coconutty, and chocolatey – what’s not to love? This no-oven sweet treat is a great baking project to take on with kids. Plus, Nanaimo bars freeze well, which makes it easier to control your portions (if that’s your thing).
5. Bullet Soup (Prairies)
The stars of this hearty Métis recipe are the savoury beef or bison meatballs (French “boulettes” from which the name derives). Paired with a side of bannock, it’s the perfect meal to enjoy on a rainy afternoon.
The city was named after the berry, not the other way around. Known in Cree as “misâskwatômina”, wild saskatoon berries are somewhat of a vanishing treat. Fortunately, berry cultivators help to ensure we all get a piece of this mouthwatering pie.
7. Smoked Salmon (British Columbia)
You can enjoy wild caught Pacific salmon in so many different ways! Cold-smoked and thinly sliced for the perfect lox and bagel, spread on a cracker as a paté, smoked and dried for a jerky snack, or chopped up to enhance pasta night.
8. Lobster Rolls (Maritimes)
Granted, the original lobster roll was created in the US, but Canadians do it better. You can’t beat our fresh-caught lobster, dressed down and served with kettle chips and a dill pickle. You just can’t.
9. Tourtiere (Quebec)
Make the holidays come early this year with a piping hot tourtiere. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg make this meat pie pop with heartwarming and belly-warming flavours.
10. Schmoo Cake (Manitoba)
If you love pralines ‘n’ crème ice cream, you’ll adore Winnipeg’s cult classic, schmoo cake. Laced with pecans, overwhelmed with whipped cream, and layered with caramel, it’s a sweet and sticky concoction you’ll have wished you’d known about sooner.
11. Beef Dip Sandwiches (Alberta)
Why are the best sandwiches are always the messiest? Save this savoury feast for laundry day and enjoy your juicy Canadian beef in peace.
12. Ice Cream Punch (Saskatchewan)
This one’s a boozy – er, doozy. Said to have been a local curling club’s invention (who clearly understood how to have a roaring good time), the float-esque punch features a whirlwind of ingredients including coffee, ice cream, cola, and lots of team spirit.
True North indeed. For your next fish fry, try featuring the world’s northernmost freshwater fish, the arctic char. Baked, poached, or sautéed, it’s a tasty entrée to pair with fresh local veggies.
14. Butter Tarts (Ontario)
Rule number one: never show up late to a butter tart festival. Rule number two: never go beyond arm’s reach of a serviette. It couldn’t get more Canadian than learning to make this iconic dessert just in time for the long weekend.
15. Blueberry Grunt (Maritimes)
Sweet, sweet stovetop dumplings cooked in a bath of blueberries and topped with homemade whipped cream? Of course this Nova Scotia favourite will having you grunting in delight.
Did You Know?
Last year, over 22 million people from around the world chose to vacation in Canada – and no wonder! Follow Flight Centre on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more local travel inspiration to add to your wish list.
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