Whatever you indulge in today to celebrate – aside from sitting in lawn chairs, drinking beer and listening to Nickelback – Make sure there’s something authentically Canadian on the menu. May we make a few suggestions?
The classic, stacked Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich…
If you’re in Ottawa, like me, you have a distinct advantage when it comes to ‘eating Canadian’…
Stroll through the Market
Start with a stroll through the Byward Market. And don’t forget to stop by the Beavertails stand, at the northeast end of the Market Building. The big, flat, puffy sweet-or-savoury pastries are iconically Canadian. Former US President Barack O’Bama made a point of dragging his Secret Service detail down to the Market just to sample a Beavertail. More than one member of the Royal family has partaken. And many other celebs have worshiped at the shrine. Nobody else anywhere in the world has anything quite like the Beavertail.
Teleporting to the northwest…
Be sure to sample the smoked arctic char and salmon of the NWT and the Yukon. Most of it is prepared in the sacred, ancestral way by First Nations producers – over a banked open fire. The texture and flavour are unique. Nothing else goes better with cream cheese on a Montreal bagel.
And while you’re in Montreal…
You have to have a stack of the city’s unique Smoked Meat on light Rye bread, with nothing more than a schmear of good old yellow mustard. it’s not corned beef, smoked brisket or pastrami. it’s just different. Maybe a blend of the best aspects of all those other-place classics…
The Big Smoke
Toronto has so many authentic distinct ethnic neighbourhoods, you could probably spend a month there eating just one culture’s offerings a day.
By the way… I think they must have nicknames it ‘The Big Smoke’ in recognition of the Greater Toronto Area’s undisputed reputation as the backyard BBQ capital of Canada. Folks I know in Toronto confirm that they and their comrades-in-spatulas will BBQ anything. One former high school associate of mine recently sent me a recipe for a ‘Grilled Ice Cream Bombe Surprise Dipped Cone Dessert’.
Heading back to the West coast…
Be sure to experience a Ukranian wedding celebration in Winnipeg. They can go three days, with 4 or 5 meals served in any given 24-hour period. And the booze and wine flow freely – though somehow responsibly – throughout.If you’re lucky enough to get invited, you’ll remember the experience for the rest of your life. And come away with a fistful of amazing recipe!
The other side of the Manitoba coin is Lake Winnipeg Walleye. It’s as emblematic of the prairie province’s fishery as Lake Erie Yellow Perch…
Which brings us to Vancouver…
… Where Sister Erin remembers walking down to the fishing docks after work in the afternoon and buying a whole 5-6 lb. / 2-3 kg. ultra-fresh salmon for 5 bucks. And put the whole thing on the ‘cue for supper. And several following meals that week. But that was back in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Things have definitely changed. But the fresh-caught Salmon are still there, if you know where to find them.
Van is also renowned for its amazing Asian community – a ‘Chinatown’ district that’s second only to San Francisco’s in North America.
Facing east again…
… You have to stop in Calgary for at least one meal featuring their incomparable grass-fed beef. Hang the cost. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime indulgence not to be missed.
So much more…
The Maritime lobster industry has fallen on hard times in recent years, And prices for world’s champion Nova Scotia Atlantic lobster have soared. But if you love seafood, you must, regardless of the perceived obstacles, attend at least one community Lobster Supper in a small coastal town. That’s pure Canada, boys!
And there’s so much more!
My take
Whatever else you do today, eat Canadian! The opportunies are legion, and they’re all around you! You’ll reconnect with your history and heritage. And probably end up in a satisfied stupor…
~ Maggie J.