Much more than maple syrup

Is there such a thing as Canadian cuisine? Have you ever ordered a Canadian takeaway - or dined at a restaurant serving the country's specialities? Is maple syrup the only food Canada is renowned for?

Surely not, for the second largest country in the world is a melting pot of culinary heritages from Europe, North America and Asia. British and French settlers were important in introducing certain foods, bringing recipes from home.

But they in turn were influenced by the First Nation and Inuit people who harvested the country's own bountiful larder with their hunter-gatherer techniques — even if in the early days this included everything from polar bear and beaver to squirrels. Today, they are renowned for their delicious game, venison, smoked caribou and buffalo (which is leaner than beef and contains less cholesterol). The First Nations were the ones who revealed the nectar of maple syrup to the new settlers.

Quebec is now the world's leading producer of this ultra-sweet syrup, made in the spring when the sap is running and perfect for pancakes or French-style trempettes.
French haute-cuisine is, not surprisingly, most evident in Quebec province, where specialities include poutine (French fries and cheese curd topped with gravy); tourtieres (once made from a small bird, but now pork or meat-filled pies); French pea soup and creton (a spicy pork pate).

In the Maritime Provinces, the Acadian French continue centuries-old culinary traditions cooking up dishes such as rapie pie, a type of meat topped with potato.

Canada boasts wonderful seafood, including chowder, especially on its east and west coasts. Catches can easily make it from ocean to plate within a few hours and oysters, clams, scallops and Atlantic salmon are popular on east coast menus, with Prince Edward Island famous for its lobster.

On the west coast, Pacific salmon, crab and prawns are plentiful, while in the far north, the Arctic char is a speciality. Freshwater fish include pickerel, Winnipeg goldeye and trout, often cooked on wooden planks hugging a campfire.
Alberta's cattle ranches are the source of Canada's excellent beef, which makes prime steaks and burgers. In the home city of the stampede, a favourite local dish among cowboys is Calgary beef hash — corned beef with baked beans and fried potatoes — which was the kind of food that was once served on the wagon trains.

In British Columbia, Lumberjack Breakfasts are popular — huge helpings of eggs, bacon, ham, sausages and pancakes. These enormous breakfasts were said to be invented around 1870 by Vancouver hotelier J. Houston in response to requests from his guests for larger portions at the beginning of a long, hard-working day.

Perhaps less appetising to others, seal meat is still eaten in areas such as the far North and Newfoundland. Other strange-sounding delicacies include Bangbelly (a pudding of flour, rice, raisins, pork, spices, molasses and sometimes seal fat), Beavertails (no — not chopped mercilessly from the rodents, just fried pastries shaped like the tails or sometimes elephant ears or moose antlers) and Pets de Soeurs, which are creamy, sugary pastries that translate literally as 'nun's farts'…sorry, did I just put you off them?
Maple syrup may be the most famous sweet stuff, but Canadians are also known for their
rich desserts.

Tarte au Sucre (sugar pie) is a favourite, as is Pudding au Chomeur (which translates as 'unemployed pudding') and is an upside-down cake with a caramel base.

The famous Butter Tarts are said to have
been brought by the Scots and as I originally hail from Glasgow, where we're not normally credited for our delicious cuisine, then who am I to argue? They are like pecan pies
except without the pecans, (they probably cost too much for the Scots!) which are replaced with chocolate chips, raisins or other nuts.Saskatoon berry pie is another sweet Canadian treat, but although the Saskatoon berry resembles a blueberry, it isn't actually a berry.

Confused? You will be. Bakeapples
on the other hand may taste like baked apples, but they are also referred to as baked-apple berries, chicoute and cloudberries.

Ontario is known as the fruitbowl of Canada, renowned for its strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, peaches and apples, which are often sold at farmer's stands by the roadside. Corn, black beans and squash (known as the 'three sisters') are also grown here, while throughout much of eastern Canada, fiddleheads (fern heads) and dulse (seaweed) are enjoyed sautéed as a vegetable accompaniment.Today, Canadian cuisine represents a fusion of modern, culinary techniques with unique, traditional ingredients.

It has resulted in an exciting blend between the diverse origins of the foodstuffs mixed with influences from the many other immigrant cultures that have made Canada their home.
No wonder then that there is such an extraordinary range of restaurants in Canada's towns and cities where both regional and international tastes are catered for. Bon appetit!