Thank you for joining us and if you're just landing here for the first time today, be sure to start with our kick off post HERE! This hour we wanted to share some of the foods Canada is known for and some of our favourites for sure! Alyssa shares this…
"I must admit, I love good food. My father and I share the belief that if we have to eat it should be good. A few years ago this conclusion was a big problem for me because I was an expert at burning water…so I set off on a journey to learn to prepare amazing food. Five years later I’m proud of my culinary skills and find feeding large groups to be so much fun, especially because I only do it on special occasions and never do the dishes after!
Two Canadian favourites, each with many varying recipes, are Nanaimo Bars and Poutine. We’ll start with dessert. (Who doesn’t like dessert first?!)
Although enjoyed all over the country, Nanaimo Bars are a western Canadian design. A thick layer of chocolate atop the middle layer of sweet and rich creamy custard buttery icing, all atop a thick crumby chocolate/walnut/coconut base makes this square a finger-food dessert. As a little girl, Nanaimo Bars were one of my faves at showers and parties…except I hate the bottom of them! Thankfully, my dear cousin Jessica loves the base layer and hates the top two. I’m sure you can image two little girls snagging (another!) treat from the dessert buffet and splitting it. She often had to tell me she was done, as her sweet tooth wasn’t nearly the size of mine, so I’d go and find my mom who also loved the bottom layer. (Just a little tip: Chill them before splitting, otherwise you’ll wind up with a gooey mess.) Recipe here!
What would Canadian cuisine be without poutine? (Pronounced poo-teen or poo-tin or pass-me-that-now-because-I-can’t-resist-it, depending on the person with whom you are sharing this dish!) French fries, or ‘chips’ as they are known to many, are fried to perfection, covered in cheese curds, and smothered in gravy. You’ll find many variations, some adding meat or spices. I once met a chef who boasted that her classic poutine recipe took 5 years to perfect – from potato to cheese curd to gravy, the combinations were tried thousands of times; truly was a treat to stop and enjoy, unfortunately her doors have closed. For our American friends who would like to indulge, I’ll meet you at Leunig’s Bistro in Burlington, Vermont for a twist on this favourite, Confit Duck Poutine; to our Canadian friends I promise getting a passport will be worth this one.
We cannot complete our day without discussing the most controversial and prized of Canadian condiments: Ketchup. It may come as a surprise to you that Canadians put ketchup on…everything. Ok, not everything, but almost everything. We put it on french fries, hamburgers, hotdogs, hash browns, meatloaf, mac and cheese (Kraft Dinner), and scrambled eggs. We dip chicken fingers, grilled cheese, fried fish, and mozza sticks in ketchup. Some people like it on onion rings, mashed potatoes, and pizza. We even have ketchup flavoured chips. Phew! Time for me to go and find some bbq sauce…
Ok, one more. Let's not forget butter tarts. Butter, sugar, eggs and sometimes raisins all baked in a delicious crust! Goodness in just a few bites!"
Did we mention dill pickle chips, the magnificent Bloody Caesar, smoked salmon, Montreal style bagels and Saskatoon berry pie! Hungry yet? We'll get to the maple syrup later!
As mentioned in our first post, we would love to share a loonie and a toonie with lucky readers each hour (along with some other fun prizes along the way!) Be sure to leave a comment below by July 7th and we will randomly select one lucky winner this hour to win them! After leaving your comment here we hope you'll take a moment to visit us on Facebook and Instagram (@sctmagazine) and leave a comment there as well for THREE chances to win! We'll be compiling all the comments each hour.
Next hour, it's the Bay of Fundy!
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Fun Fact: Canada consumes more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world. Thanks Kraft Dinner!
I love Nanaimo squares and butter tarts!
All my favourite foods!!
Mmmmm Nanaimo bars ?
Poutine and Nanaimo bars make me ? happy.
Happy??Day
Those bars look delicious!!
I know it’s weird, but I think Nanaimo bars are too sweet, but I love butter tarts! No rhyme nor reason to that one… Also, poutine is wonderful!
Poutine sounds delicious.
Didn’t know what it was until I started
watching some of the cooking shows.
Have to try it sometime.
Happy Birthday, Canada.
Love butter tarts!
I love all the foods mentioned…who wouldn’t. I grew up in Leamington, home of the delicious tomatoes which went into making Heinz ketchup although sadly they don’t anymore, however, French’s stepped up to the plate so Yeah! There is nothing like the taste of a fresh Leamington tomato/ If you get the chance to visit, check out the big tomato in town which is a tourist information booth.
Yum! Dull pickle chips, Hawkins Cheezies and Smarties! Love our snacks!
sounds yummy!
Mmm… Yummy!!! They looks delicious!!!
Yummy foods all! I love everything on the list!
Happy Birthday Canada ??
Might like the gravy
dipped fries!
Carla from Utah
I will admit I am a Canadian who puts Ketchup on everything. Love my Ketchup chips! But I have to say I would never pass up a Nanaimo Bar.
Mmmm….all my guilty pleasures! These are all great but my favourite has to be butter tarts. Whoever invented these is a Canadian genius. Happy Birthday, Canada!
Happy Birthday, Canada! I love tarts! My grandmother always made them and now my mother and I make them.
Nanaimo bars are my absolute favourite!! We do have some of the best foods here in Canada! 🙂
There will be thousands of tarts and nanaimo bars consumed today along with poutine and/or french fries and ketchup!!
I’m as Canadian as they come, 8th generation in my Dad’s side – but Kraft Dinner?! Gross. Lol
I am pretty sure my husband must be Canadian! He puts ketchup on all the above and also nice juicy steaks, turkey, ham and everything else! I think that if I served him dirt with ketchup he would eat it! LOL
As a teen I worked at a little snack bar that was run by a wonderful Canadian man who came to know my love of poutine! After he closed down for the winter he would make me a poutine survival package once a month. It consisted of a gallon jar of his homemade gravy, a bag of curd cheese and a 5lb bag of potatoes so I could still get my fix!
Years later, he made poutine for all of our wedding guests! I really miss him and my poutine fixes! I guess I will have to get my enhanced license so I can go to Canada for poutine regularly!
I have never heard of the Nanaimo bars but they look ? yummy! TFS!
Happy 150 Canada from the prairies!
Coffee crisp! A delicious Canadian treat is one of my favorite foods!
Love Nanaimo bars and butter tarts. I don’t put catsup on anything (although hubby does). Do not like KD. Canada sells the most varieties of chocolate bars! Hurray for Canadian food!
going to try the nanaimo bars that will be a first for me.
Poutine – oh my! Born and raised on Quebec, the birthplace of poutine it was definitely a favourite. Now if someone would just create a gluten and dairy free option I woukd be in heaven!
So hard to pick my favourite, they’re all delicious!
Happy Birthdat Canada! Loving the Canadian facts. My fav treat are Nanaimo bars. Love them.
Poutine delicious
Nanaimo bars yummy
Ketchup great
Butter tarts good
Happy Canada Day everyone! We have a lot to be thankful for. We live in an amazing country!! May we all live in peace and harmony.
Oh the food we have to offer. I just had poutine the other day with my niece and it was sooo delicious. My husbands favorite dessert is Nanaimo bars. Oh the list goes on and on. Yum! Yum! Yum! Forget the diets when you live in Canada. lol
I need a cup of Tim Hortons to go with all these!
I need a cup of Tim Hortons to go with all these!
Nanaimo bars sound absolutely delicious. Will have to try them soon!
I love to eat entire Nanaimo bar! All of it is good. Butter tarts yum! Poutine…not so much. Love our Canadian money! So fun and colourfulness!
My Mom made the best butter tarts in the world. Every time I eat one I think of her.
Nanaimo bars, especially mint, mmmmm! But pouting OMG ……
Gosh, I’ve forgotten about the Nanaimo Bars. How could that happen. Will be making them this week for sure!!!
I’ve always had a passion for Ketchup. I even carried a bottle of it around with me in my car. One Halloween night, I was stopped by a policeman and he made me put my Ketchup in the trunk of my car. I guess he thought I was going to splatter it on a building or something. To this day, I don’t know why he stopped me.
Happy Birthday Canada!!!
Mmmm our celebrations are centred around eating today ?
Yum to poutine!!!
Ok – you’re making me SO hungry! Love French fries and pies, so poutine and butter tarts both sound delicious! Happy Canada Day!
Making me hungry…off to put maple syrup on pancakes!
This all looks yummy –esp the dessert.
Wow, such interesting food facts… I had no idea that Nanaimo bars were a Canadian recipe….they are one of my favourite desserts to eat and so addictive! Thanks for all of the fun info..I am enjoying your blog today with all of these photos and fun facts!
love them…yummy!!
Love nanaimo bars and butter tarts! And lots of maple syrup! We do live in a great country!
Oh yummy! Great Canadian dishes and now I NEED some poutine!!! And a butter tart!
I love learning all of these great things about Canada. Very interesting.
I love all of these tried and true Canadian favourites!!
I love Nanaimo bars! Happy Canada Day from Saskatchewan ??!
Going to make those bars for the 4th of July in Utah!!
Yummy! I have not tried any of these dishes, but that’s about to change. Thanks for the dessert recipe, can’t wait to try it.
I’m hungry already!
Can someone please hand me a Nanaimo bar and a butter tart? Would love the try those. As for gravy on french fries? No thank you. And I only use ketchup sparingly, e.g. with a croque monsieur (‘tosti’ in Dutch).
I have tried all of these Canadian yummies but they are more of a “treat” than a regular part of my diet. I did not know the fun fact about Kraft Dinner but it makes sense now that I see it! Thank you for celebrating Canada 150 in style! I am so happy to be Canadian!
Mac n cheese is my fav comfort food, cheers
Happy day
Thanks for sharing these fun Canadian food facts – always fun to learn about another country!
I too scrape the top off the Nanaimo Bars and only eat the bottom layer 😉
But I do LOVE butter tarts!
Happy Canada Day from British Columbia.
Nanaimo bars are a go-to square every Christmas. I much prefer home made than store purchased. My grandparents owned a bakery and my Mom became known for her butter tarts…she says she snagged my Dad with them! LOL
I love nanaimo bars and french fries but haven’t quite developed a love affair with poutine or ketchup (hangs head in shame LOL). To save me a little, I do love maple syrup and use it instead of refined sugar almost all the time. I also love trout and tourtière 🙂
I wasn’t aware of Nanaimo bars and butter tarts being a Canadian food,
Mmmmn… been debating making poutine for dinner tonight! I think it’s happening!
Love the recap of our fave foods 🙂 I do love ketchup but maybe not as much as others … in my world, the only places it belongs is on fries, hashbrowns, meatloaf and burgers!!!
I am getting really hungry now. I have made Nanaimo bars for years. At Christmas I add some green food colouring and mint flavouring. After the first time I now HAVE to make them. Be sure you know what you are getting into before you start! lol And yes, always make sure they are chilled before cutting and serving. Not a good summer time treat. Better saved for cool temps.
As for poutine, if you aren’t putting the cheese on top of the fries the second they come out of the fryer so the curds are melting down around the golden potatoes before you even add the scalding hot gravy, don’t bother wasting your time. Seriously, who wants cold clumps of cheese?
And the butter tarts. Mmmmmm….with our without the little raisins, they are always a temptation.
Thanks for sharing all these lovely foods today, eh! 😀
So much fun food has come out of our country. We know how to eat!
It all sounds delicious and I am sure they have less calories in Canada, since we use the metric system ? Happy Canada Day!
Sweet Treats, Canada!!!! Happy Birthday!
Oooh, Bakeapple Buckle. There’s something no one in America has ever heard of. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Now I’m craving Nanaimo bars. I don’t like cheese curds but I do love fries n gravy, ( and yes, with ketchup on them.)
All of the food you shared look and sound yummy. Now I need to go to Canada so that I can try some of them.
I have never had any of these treats, but they all sound delish!
I could go for the nanaimo bars and the butter tarts. Those both sound yummy !
So my kids would be very happy in Canada putting ketchup on everything? I’d love to try butter tarts, and basically, everything else mentioned!
I love our Canadian foods!!
Poutine and butter tarts–yummy!
So many yummy Canadian foods! Happy Canada Day!
Hasn’t every Canadian lived on KD at one time or another????? Happy Canada Day!
Yummy!!!
Happy Canada Day!!!??
i am eating ketchup chips right now and some ketchup on my hotdog!
Yummy!
Yummm! Butter Tarts and Nanaimo Squares. Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Can’t wait to try some of these…maybe in Cornwall?!
Love the foods of Canada! Yum! thanks for the chance to win!
OMG – which do I love more….nanaimo bars or butter tarts!
Thanks SCT!
I love all the Canadian food you posted,! Thank you so much!
What’s not to love about all those Canadian foods.
Oh yummy! Must try these!
Very interesting…Happy Canada Day!
Love Nanaimo Bars!!
Nanaimo bars look delicious!
It’s so hard to pick authentic Canadian cuisine but these are a great start! I love Nanaimo bars!
Poutine and butter tarts – a perfect Canadian feast!
Yum! The nanaimo bars look awesome!
Happy 150th to Canada!
Nanaimo Bars are the best and I had one today. Happy Canada Day Everyone.
I used to love Nanaimo bars!! Ohhhh so good…. one of the things I miss but have not looked for a tree but free recipe. And poutine. .. yum!! That’s it. Just yum!
Dessert looks delicious! and it’s great when you can split something with a sister or a friend)
Nanaimo bar cheesecake for Canada Day, enough said!
Yum
Ketchup chips, kraft dinner, butter tarts, poutine, beaver tails, maple syrup and peameal bacon and kit Kat bars are all my fav Canadian foods! Happy birthday Canada! # true north # love Canada # ty SCT
Yummy…my mouth is watering with these delicious Canadian treats.
I had poutine in Omaha, Nebraska a couple of years ago for the first time and fell in love – it is so good!! I live in Southern California and unfortunately haven’t found a place here yet that serves it. 🙁
Poutine and buttertarts, yummy.
Love poutine! A staple in my home!
Ketchup on almost everything is common in Sweden aswell.
Your Canadian food selections are terrific. I did not realize that butter tarts were Canadian until I attended the recent Buttertart Festival in Midland. While waiting in line I met a gentleman from the USA who told me he had come up to Canada in order to get himself some butter tarts!!! Just another reason Canada is so terrific!!! ❤️?? Who else would like buttertarts when they are scrapbooking?? what a great combination!!!
Butter tarts my fave! ??
I put all ketchup on almost all those things also and I have never been to Canada. HMMMMMMM…. maybe I should live there. HAHAHAH
Ooh, the butter tarts look fabulous! I haven’t heard of nanaimo either. So delicious-looking.
What a fun day! Thanks for the chance to win something.
Butter tarts!!!! Now I have to go and make some!!
Some of all the great food found in Canada. Thanks SCT for the great facts of our great country.
Some of my favorite memories include the Canadian food you have mentioned! Who could resist such treats?
A poutine and a Jos Louis, the lunch of Canadian champions! Loved eating these treats as a kid. You certainly had my mouth watering with all the amazing Canadian favourites!
I used to work for a Canadian software company and learnt to make Nanaimo bars after trying them. One of my colleagues used to regularly bring in butter tarts – delicious! Would love to try poutine one day.
My grandma made the best nanaimo bars and butter tarts. Although I’ve found delicious ones made by other people, they aren’t quite the same – probably because they are missing her special ingredient love. Whenever I have either one of them, I think of my grandma.
I love Nanaimo bars. My very favourite treat, and thank you for including a recipe. So many delicious food memories here.
But, please let’s not forget, fresh lobster from PEI, fiddle heads, sugar pie from Quebec City (a close relation to butter tarts), hawberry jam from Manitoulin Island, fresh wild salmon from BC or delicious Alberta beef.
And so many more other amazing foods, some I have tried and others I look forward to .
Nanaimo bars are not my favourite! Too sweet. I’ll eat a butter tart once in awhile but again, too sweet most of the time. I seldom eat fries or ketchup – sorry, vegetarian and healthy eater (most of the time) but hubby loves anything sweet.
Happy Canada Day !!! These hourly posts are a super creative way to honour our fabulous country. Nanaimo bars and butter tarts – so yummy!
I love the food facts. I have the bar recipe pinned to make in the future.
Nanaimo bars are soooo good. All the layers!
OH man, yummy, yummy!
Gotta love Canadian treats!
Yummy butter tarts. Happy Canada Day ??
I think my husband must be secretly Canadian for his love of ketchup!
The fun facts are great. Thank you. Would love to win the Canada stamp and die set. Great ideas from your blog. Keep up the good work!
I tried delicious Nanaimo Bars when in Canada, but also icewine and maple whisky.Though I think the whisky is probably drunk more by visitors than locals. Canadian club is a massive favourite here in Australia.
What a yummy post! I might just need to go to the bakery for some butter tarts! 😉
I grew up in Eastern Canada and we ate tweed squares. Still a great treat.
Thank you very much for this wonderful homage to Canada and its marvelous opportunities. Having had the opportunity to visit Vancouver Island, those Nanaimo bars hold a special place in my sweet heart. Cheers!
Now I’m very hungry after reading that! Happy 150th Canada!
I ❤Canadian food!
I had on Canada Day a Nanaimo Bar Buttertart….the two together is magical!! If you get a chance go to the The Magic Pin in Peterborough and try one!! Delicious!!
Butter tarts rule! Love them but you need to be careful, those little beauties add up fast:-)
Yummmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!!!