CanCulture asked Canadians on social media to vote for the food that best represents Canada from 10 strong contenders.
By: Kaitlyn Stock
Due to Canada being an incredibly diverse and multicultural country, it may be difficult for Canadians to think of a food that screams Canada. Could it be sweet old butter tarts and Nanaimo bars? What about our infamous ketchup chips? And how could we ever forget salmon jerky or muktuk, both treasures from Canadian seas?
In a poll CanCulture conducted on social media, 55 Canadians were given 10 examples of popular Canadian food and we asked them to select the one that they thought most represented Canada. Take a guess of your own, see the top five results below and let us know how you would have voted!
4. In a tie for fourth place, with 7.4 per cent of votes each, we have peameal bacon and Timbits!
Peameal bacon, also known as “Canadian bacon” to Americans, was originally made by William Davies, a ham and bacon curer from Toronto. If you are not vegetarian, you may know that it is made from pork loin instead of pork belly like typical bacon, and is then rolled in cornmeal — hence its yellow crust.
The Carousel Bakery, located inside St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, is famous for its peameal bacon sandwiches. As peameal bacon is hard to find outside of Canada, Torontonians should seize their chance to visit this hotspot and learn about a food created in their city.
If you are Canadian, you will definitely understand the hype around these tasty little cakes from Tim Hortons known as Timbits. Timbits are bite-sized versions of the chain’s doughnuts and are a good treat to bring to meetings, gatherings and parties.
Timbits were first introduced at Tim Hortons in 1976, 12 years after its first restaurant opened. The most popular flavours are birthday cake, old-fashioned glazed, chocolate glazed, old-fashioned plain and honey dip.
3. In third place: beaver tails (and not the animal part…)
9.3 per cent of participants chose this sweet treat as the peak Canadian food. The beaver tail is a fried dough pastry that is pulled to resemble the tail of a beaver. It is then topped with anything from Nutella to cinnamon sugar.
Beaver tails were first sold in the late 1970s at a Killaloe, Ont. community fair, by Pam and Grant Hooker. In 1980, the first BeaverTails stand was opened at the ByWard Market in Ottawa and is still there today!
2. In second place for what Canadians think of when they hear “Canadian food” is maple syrup!
25.9 per cent of participants chose maple syrup, also known as “liquid gold,” as their top Canadian food. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, maple syrup first came from “Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, including the Abenaki, Haudenosaunee and Mi’kmaq”, before European settlers discovered this treat. To get the sap out, Indigenous people tapped the trees by cutting v-shaped patterns into the bark.
The production of maple syrup took off in the late 1700s and was collected by colonists drilling holes into maple trees and fitting them with wooden spouts. This way the sap would flow out for collection. The production of maple syrup in Canada is so huge that we produce 85 per cent of the world’s maple syrup!
1. Finally, in the number one spot is, unsurprisingly, poutine!
38.9 per cent of participants selected this classic dish as their pick for Canada’s top food. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, poutine first appeared in rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. The pronunciation of poutine also varies throughout Canada, with Quebecers pronouncing it as “poo-tin” and those outside of Quebec pronouncing it as “poo-teen.” Not only is the pronunciation of poutine unclear but so is the founder of this dish, with several individuals claiming the credit for inventing poutine.
It was not until the early 1990s that poutine entered popular fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s, Harvey’s and Burger King. Poutine is popular across Canada, however, it is especially liked in Quebec, its place of origin.
