From Poutine to Nanaimo Bars: Iconic Canadian Foods You Must Try

What is Canadian Food?

Where the food’s the star.

There’s more to Canadian food than ketchup flavored potato chips. There’s also dill pickle flavored chips. But what if you’re moving away from a chip-based diet? What can you expect to eat when you come to Canada and what exactly is Canadian food?

We like to eat well

Canada is a big country, so in many cases our food culture is regional. Poutine, for example, is from Quebec, so when I was growing up in B.C., it wasn’t something most people ate or even knew about. It was the same way with the fast-food chain Tim Hortons. I knew of it as an Ontario-based coffee and donut shop, but there weren’t any locations out West in B.C. Although poutine and Tim Hortons are now widely available all over Canada, most people don’t eat that kind of food everyday–universal public health care only goes so far.

Enjoy the taste that differs

Like the U.S., Canada has a long history of immigration, and the people who moved here brought their food culture with them. So a lot of Canadian food is similar to the food you might find in some Northern U.S. states. Much of it came over from the U.K., France and other parts of Europe. But there’s also a lot of Asian, Indian and Caribbean food available too, especially in the larger cities. In Vancouver, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Indian food are all really popular and there are lots of restaurants where you can get sushi, ramen, pho, dim sum and Mumbai cuisine among others.

Experience
the new taste

If you are staying in a homestay, you will most likely be eating home-cooked meals with your homestay family and those meals will vary depending on your host family’s culture. So keep an open mind–you will no doubt be trying a lot of different things for the first time when you are in Canada!

Food You Should Definitely Try in Canada

Nanaimo Bars: A treat invented in Nanaimo, B.C. made with chocolate, wafer and nuts. A must-try for those of you with a sweet tooth–and for those without as well.

Smoked Salmon: Native North Americans started smoking salmon to preserve it. We continue to do it because it’s delicious. Every trip to Canada, and especially British Columbia, should include some smoked salmon.

Montreal Smoked Meat: As the name suggests, this is Montreal-style beef and it is a popular sandwich filling. Luckily, it is available in other places besides Montreal.

The B.C. Roll: The B.C. roll is a kind of maki sushi made with barbequed salmon. It was invented by a Japanese chef in Vancouver way back in 1974 and is still super popular today because it’s super tasty.

The Caesar: Though not exactly food, it does have food in it. The Caesar is a cocktail similar to a Bloody Mary but made with clamato juice (tomato and clam juice). It is usually quite spicy and is garnished with celery, olives and whatever else the bartender feels like putting in. This drink is only available in Canada. Make sure you bring your ID, though non-alcoholic versions are available.

Poutine: French fries and cheese curds covered in brown gravy. It’s as heavy as it sounds and you’ll probably need a nap afterwards. As mentioned above, poutine is originally from Quebec, but it can be found all over Canada now.

Street Food: Most cities in Canada have food trucks and other food stalls on the street. In Vancouver you can get all kinds of different food from food trucks–everything from fusion foods like Japadog (a hotdog with Japanese toppings such as daikon and wasabi) to Mexican tacos to Korean fried chicken. Make sure to try some of these places while you’re here!