Introduction
Canada is known for its unique and delicious cuisine, but there are some dishes that are often mistaken for being Canadian that are actually not eaten in Canada. From deep-fried Mars bars to poutine, here are six “Canadian” foods that you won’t find on any Canadian menus. From the strange to the delicious, these dishes are sure to surprise you. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular “Canadian” foods that you won’t find in Canada.
6 “Canadian” Foods That No One Eats in Canada
When it comes to Canadian cuisine, there are some dishes that are widely enjoyed across the country. But there are also some dishes that are often mistaken for being Canadian, when in fact, they are not. Here are 6 “Canadian” foods that no one eats in Canada.
1. Poutine
Poutine is a dish that is often associated with Canada, but it is actually a Quebecois dish. It is made with french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. While it is popular in Quebec, it is not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
2. BeaverTails
BeaverTails are a type of pastry that is often mistaken for being Canadian. However, they are actually an Ontario-based treat. They are made with fried dough and topped with various sweet toppings. While they are popular in Ontario, they are not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
3. Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars are a type of dessert bar that is often mistaken for being Canadian. However, they are actually a British Columbia-based treat. They are made with a chocolate, coconut, and custard base and topped with a chocolate ganache. While they are popular in British Columbia, they are not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
4. Montreal-Style Bagels
Montreal-Style Bagels are a type of bagel that is often mistaken for being Canadian. However, they are actually a Quebec-based treat. They are made with a sweeter dough and boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked in a wood-fired oven. While they are popular in Quebec, they are not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
5. Ketchup Chips
Ketchup Chips are a type of potato chip that is often mistaken for being Canadian. However, they are actually an Ontario-based treat. They are made with a ketchup-flavored seasoning and are a popular snack in Ontario. While they are popular in Ontario, they are not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
6. Butter Tarts
Butter Tarts are a type of pastry that is often mistaken for being Canadian. However, they are actually an Ontario-based treat. They are made with a pastry crust and filled with a butter, sugar, and egg mixture. While they are popular in Ontario, they are not widely eaten in the rest of Canada.
Yes, Canadians really do have a lot of poutine, even at some fast-food restaurants. And considering poutine consists of french fries that are laden with cheese curds and gravy, the real question is: why it’s not a wildly popular dish throughout every other nation on earth? And yes, maple syrup, butter tarts, ketchup chips, and meat pies are popular in the Great White North as well. But a few of the foods you might think of as Canadian originals are either not Canadian at all, are mislabeled and misunderstood, or are so rarely consumed in Canada that they are effectively absent from the national cuisine.
So the next time you head to Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, or beyond, don’t waste too much time looking for these foods, because the locals either won’t know what you’re asking about or won’t have the foods on hand anyway.
Here are 6 foods you may think of as Canadian, but that Canadians don’t.
Alright, to be clear, Canadians do eat the food known to the rest of the world as Canadian bacon, but in Canada, it’s never referred to by that name. That would be much the same as pointlessly adding the word “American” before a common food, like “American fried chicken.” In Canada, it’s usually called back bacon or peameal bacon, the latter name coming from the yellow peas that were traditionally dried, ground, and used to coat the meat to preserve it. Unlike the fatty, smoked, and often crispy bacon usually found Stateside, Canada’s back bacon is more like a piece of lean ham that’s been cured and then cooked.
Yes, some people in Canada do eat moose meat, but it’s hardly a common entree for most people in most parts of the vast country. One Canadian sharing thoughts in a Reddit thread on Canadian food said: “The only time anyone I know has ever eaten moose is when they hunted it themselves. And I only know like two people who hunt.”
Canadians do not eat beaver tails, contrary to common misconception—not the flat, wide tail of the dam-building mammal, that is. What Canadians do thoroughly enjoy is a pasty that rather resembles the beaver’s tail in looks and tastes rather like a doughnut. That Canadian treat can be traced back as far as the 1800s, says Culture Trip.
In parts of French Canada, mainly in big cities like Montreal and Quebec, you’ll find a fondue restaurant or two, mostly located in tourist-heavy areas. But fondue is hardly a national dish of Canada—it’s Swiss, of course—and is little consumed by most Canadians. Though, to be fair, fondue is little consumed in America, either, having seen a surge in popularity in the 60s and 70s before falling from favor again.
Fèves au lard, also called haricots au lard, is a bean dish that’s eaten in Quebec. The baked beans dish with bacon and maple syrup is not widely popular beyond. In many ways, Canada is like two nations, French Canada and the English-speaking rest of it. That said, perhaps the dish deserves broader appeal because it sounds amazing.
Outside of indigenous communities living largely in the northern reaches of Canada, you’re not going to find people eating whales in Canada. For some Inuit communities, meat from whales such as belugas or bowheads makes up a crucial part of the diet, especially in more isolated areas, but for most Canadians, seafood means fish and lobsters and the like.
Steven John