Tag: Atlantic Canada

What to eat in New Brunswick’s largest city

New Brunswick is the least-known of Canada’s Atlantic provinces. Tourists often bypass it to attractions in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Hardy food enthusiasts will make a stop here though, because this is the heartland for Acadian cuisine.

Rise and fall of Acadian cuisine

Acadia was the earliest French colony in Canada. It thrived until the final British conquest in the 18th century, when the majority left or were deported. Limited by poor farming conditions and lack of riches, Acadian cuisine is simple, does not feature fresh herbs and vegetables, and is suited for harsh winters. It’s similar to the cuisine of Quebec in that regard. And like it’s neighbour, it’s fallen out of favour in modern times because it’s seen as bland peasant food.

Some representative dishes:

• Poutine râpées: Potato dumplings with a meaty centre.
• Fricot: Meat stew, usually chicken.
• Râpure: Like a shepherds pie but with chicken or seafood.
• Fried clams: Battered clams.
• Coquille Saint-Jacques: Scallop on the shell, baked with a creamy sauce of cheese and breadcrumbs.
• Pets de sœur: Cinnamon roll but with pie instead of bread dough.

Even though Moncton is New Brunswick’s largest city, Acadian food is surprisingly difficult to find. There are less than 5 places. Consider supplementing your gastronomic excursion with other non-Acadian, New Brunswicker specialties.

Continue reading “The Acadian and maritime foods of Moncton”

Finding the best loaded fries in Charlottetown

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is famous throughout Canada for its produce: potatoes, beef, dairy, lobsters, scallops, mussels, and more. While those are delicious, it’s strange that the Islanders haven’t created specialty dishes with them. One exception is fries with the works.

It’s feasible to try all the restaurants in Charlottetown that offer this dish if you have the time, appetite, and companions to share the calories with. For those that don’t, here’s a quick rundown of the top contenders.

Continue reading “The fries-with-the-works of Charlottetown”

Where to eat Newfoundland specialties in St John’s

Newfoundland is like a different country. The people there have a distinct accent and their own dictionary. Place names seem to be made up by pirates. The level of development is 10 years behind the urbanized provinces of Canada. And the food appears to have branched off from Britain and Ireland in the 1800s and developed into its own, much like Quebec did with French cuisine in the 1700s.

Here’s where to try the mildly intriguing foods of Newfoundland in St John’s.

Fries with dressing

Ches’s Famous Fish and Chips

No, not salad dressing. Newfoundland dressing is what the rest of Canada calls turkey stuffing. It’s a mealy mix of bread crumbs and summer savoury, the key ingredient. Summer savoury is a herb that was somewhat popular in British cooking but fell out of favour in the rest of Canada. Here, it lives on through dressing.

Dressing is usually found with fries and doused with gravy, leading some to call it “Newfoundland poutine”. Pubs and greasy diners serve them. For fish and chips with dressing, local institution Ches’s is a good introduction.

Ches’s isn’t the best fish and chips in St John’s (some say it’s The Duke of Duckworth) but it’s one of the oldest. My cod bites and chips were traditional British style. Rather bland flour batter and thick-cut chips. The magic is in the gravy and dressing (both sold separately). The dressing was crumbly and one could clearly see and taste the green savoury leaves. The gravy was one-note but combined with the dressing and fries, it was a novel and satisfying experience. It’s like turkey dinner without the turkey. 7/10.

Continue reading “The British Empire foods of St John’s”

Where to eat Canada’s own shawarma variant and splurge on lobster

The number one iconic food of Halifax is surely donair. Yes, people may associate Halifax with seafood but it’s neither unique (Prince Edward Island, Maine, and New England also have similar species) nor cheap (when on sale, Nova Scotian lobsters are cheaper in Toronto). Donairs, on the other hand, scream Nova Scotia.

Sweet and messy donair

Donairs are a Nova Scotian adaptation of shawarma and gyro wraps. Compared to the minor variants of shawarma around the Mediterranean and Middle East, this one is a significant departure. There are 3 defining characteristics of a donair:

1. Sweet garlic white sauce. With a foundation of evaporated milk (or condensed milk in modified recipes), this sauce has its lovers and haters. It’s slathered liberally, resulting in a messy, and some say soggy, sandwich. It’s popular enough to be bottled up and sold on its own. And it also pairs with other Nova Scotian foods like garlic fingers (more on that later).
2. Compacted meat. Although the meat is grilled around a rotating spit like shawarma, it’s minced so finely and packed so tightly that it resembles corned beef. One wouldn’t be able to tell what animal meat it is. It has a bouncy texture too.
3. Topping of raw white onions and tomatoes. For the purists, there are no other additions like lettuce, pickles, peppers, or hot sauce.

The donair was invented in 1973. To be more accurate, that was the first prototype. After some experimentation, the final form and name emerged in 1974. The creator went on to open King of Donairs, which is widely regarded as the modern birthplace of the dish.

Donair meat now appears in various incarnations that have proved just as popular: on donair pizza, donair subs, donair egg rolls, and donair poutine. Accompanied with the signature white sauce of course.

Continue reading “The donairs and lobster rolls of Halifax”