Here’s my version of the list circulating Facebook and the blogosphere. The Facebook one appears to have been based on Andrew Wheeler’s The Omnivore’s Hundred, which was originally written for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association Newsbite blog. I’ve tried most things on the original list, but it seems fairly random. It makes more sense as an omnivore’s list, since the list contains many items vegetarians and vegans won’t want.
The original list is about being an adventurous eater, but some common Canadian foods are really good, and worth celebrating. Some I included simply because someone I know refuses to try them, and I think they would like them if they gave them a chance. I’m happy to live in a city with cuisine from many parts of the world readily available. I’ve tried all but two of these. I love most of them, but there are a few I put in just because I think they are worth trying. I’ve linked to recipes already posted on the blog, and will try to remember to add links for recipes I post in the future.
- 2 year old cheddar
- ajvar (a puree made of roasted red peppers, eggplant and garlic – tastes great with goat cheese)
- apple pie
- atualfo mangoes (the little yellow ones)
- baklava (a Greek pastry)
- balsamic vinaigrette (recipe coming soon)
- bannock cooked over a camp fire
- berbere sauce (spicy Ethiopian seasoning)
- bhoona lamb (an Indian curry)
- buttermilk salad dressing (recipe coming soon)
- blue cheese-crusted filet mignon
- borscht (Eastern European soup made with beets)
- bulgogi (Korean beef dish)
- bread fresh from your oven
- brownies
- brunost (Norwegian brown cheese)
- cheesecake
- cheese enchiladas
- cheese fondue
- chocolate cake
- chocolate chip cookies
- chocolate fondue
- chokecherry jelly
- cloudberries (also known as “bake-apples”)
- curried goat
- Christmas pudding
- corn on the cob (best picked after you put the pot on to boil)
- crayfish (fresh water lobster)
- creton (a Quebecois paté)
- duck
- dulse (a kind of seaweed)
- fiddleheads
- fish you caught and cleaned yourself
- fajitas (Mexican dish served with tortillas)
- fresh vegetables from a farmer’s market
- fried plantain
- gaeng ped (a red Thai curry)
- gazpacho (a Spanish cold tomato soup)
- goat cheese
- goulash (a Hungarian meat dish made with paprika, and caraway seeds)
- green lentils
- guacamole
- homemade chocolate sauce (coming soon!)
- homemade ice cream
- horseradish
- hummus (a Lebanese dip/spread)
- injera (Ethiopian flat bread)
- Jamaican roti wrap
- jerk BBQ
- kale chips
- key lime pie
- kik alicha (Ethiopian dish made with yellow peas)
- kimchi (spicy Korean dish made with cabbage)
- lamb Marrakesh
- macaroni and cheese
- maple syrup
- marzipan
- mead (Ideally a good one, like Quebec’s Cuvée du Diable)
- moo shoo pork
- moose stew
- Nanaimo bars
- puff ball (a wild fungus)
- pajeon (Korean savory pancakes made with green onions)
- panang curry (Thai curry with peanut butter)
- pavlova
- perogies
- pizza
- poutine (a French Canadian dish made with fries, gravy, and cheese curds)
- quinoa
- rabbit
- ratatouille (French dish of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and eggplant)
- real bagels (i.e., not just bagel-shaped bread)
- roast chicken
- roast leg of lamb
- roasted garlic
- rye whiskey (It’s a drunk like no other)
- snails
- something you grew yourself
- something you killed yourself
- sourdough bread
- souvlaki
- spaetzle
- sugar pie
- sushi
- sweet potato fries
- Szechuan sauce
- teff
- Tlingit smoked salmon (hot smoked, rather than cold)
- tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup)
- tree-ripened peaches
- trifle
- trout almandine
- tzatziki (a Greek dip/spread made with pressed yogurt, garlic and dill)
- venison
- wat (Ethiopian stew served with injera)
- wild blueberries
- wild rice
- wild strawberries
- wildflower honey
- yogurt
Recipes by Barb 