Is Canadian food different than U.S. food?
 

Are there any distinctly Canadian dishes? Interested ... Or is the food basically the same as American food?

You must try poutine and of course French Canadian Pea Soup. Arctic char is (I think) a Canadian fish. B.B.Q. Chicken is delicious in Montreal. So are our bagels and our smoked meat. Our Chinese food is different from what I've eaten in the US. Mostly Sechwan here. I am sure there are other delicacies that others will mention.

Montrealer, you forgot to mention that Montreal steamies are much better than NYC hot-dogs.

Because Canada, like the US, is a very large country, there are few foods that could be generically called Canadian but there are lots of regional specialties based on the economic culture and geography of the region. For instance on the West Coast specialties such as barbecued Salmon, Dungeness Crab and other seafood are distinctly West Coast.<BR> On the prairies the beef culture is much stronger as is venison - especially Buffalo - and Winnipeg Goldeye, (a fresh water yellow fish), and wild rice is very popular.<BR><BR>In Quebec they have a huge array of distinct foods ranging from Habitant Pea soup through foods cooked with Maple Syrup and a gross thing called Poutine that they put on French Fries. Also M&lt;ontreal Smoked Meat and Montreal Bagels are delicacies I have never found properly reproduced elsewhere. <BR><BR>In Atlantic Canada the Seafood Culture kicks in again with Cod, Atlantic Salmon and Lobster being the primary foods as well as a spinach sort of thing called fiddlestick greens. <BR><BR>That's just a short version. I'm sure a book could be written on the long version.

It is not called fiddlestick greens, they're fiddleheads. A fiddlehead is a particular type of fern that is found by riverbeds and other watery type areas. we only have them in the spring before they are opened, and they resemble a fiddlehead. you have to boil them for about 20 minutes and serve them with butter.<BR><BR>An interesting thing to note about poutine. the most popular type in just fried, cheese curds, and gravy. The other kind is Acadian Poutine, from Northern NB, and it is like a potatoe with meat stuffed inside. I am not sure exactly of the mixture because I am not Acadian.

also to note, not all Maritimers like seafood, and lobster used to be poor mans food, and people were ashamed to eat it.

I forgot to mention Beaver Tails! And someone else wants to know why we want to live in Canada!!!

Mellisa, not all West Coasters like seafood either and there are vegetarians on the Prairies but that doesn't mean the food isn't a regional specialty.

This link will probably explain Canadian cuisine: <BR><BR>http://www.canada.com/national/features/fatguy/

Mmmmm...Beaver Tails...so good...<BR>BTW it is not made from Beaver...it is a dessert...

Robyn, what's with you and the fat guy? You've mentioned him like 3 times in the last two days.

Nanaimo Bars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Canadian beer !!

Mate, as an Australian who's well aware that our beer is bloody average after much coaching, Canadians should be aware that Canadian beer is far from special. Hate to say it, but even the seppos beer is better. Think Belgian, sport. You'll be right.

Get real. It's not like we all sit around in our igloos chomping on whale blubber. You must be an american to be asking this question.

Buttertarts!!!!!!

sitting in your igloos??<BR>susan on another board said that canadians don't have igloos!

Of course we have igloos, everybody knows that. We can't even run our goverment during the summer because our "National Igloo" melts. But the Canadian government has just passed a bill to allocate $110 million to put a refrigeration unit over the whole thing and now we will be able to have a government year round -- mind you that, in itself, is also upsetting many people.

This is the truth. There is a hotel in Quebec City that is an igloo. It exists only in the winter. Why not a trip to Quebec's winter carnival next winter with a stay in an igloo? Sounds like fun.

Anyone ever hear of Prairie Oyster? For the uninitiated it's not quite what you'd think it would be. Where do you find oysters in the Prairies? Order up some at the upcoming Calgary Stampede and find out!