Must taste Canadian dishes

sunnysuomi

Állandó Tag
Állandó Tag
Hello,

What are those traditional Canadian or local dishes that you think a tourist must taste when visiting this country?

Could you also briefly describe what is made of? (often the name tell nothing to a foreigner)

Thanks!

Sunny
 

Hahalman

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What are those traditional Canadian or local dishes that you think a tourist must taste when visiting this country?
Canada is famous for a lot of things; its cuisine is not one of them...;)

It also depends greatly on a) which province you are going to visit, b) whether you will go to one of the huge cities or a small town, and c) what kind of eateries you intend to check out. This country is about the same size as Europe; imagine if someone asked you what the 'local dishes' are in Europe...?;)

Having said that... here comes a (painfully stereotypical, and hence false and incomplete) list:
* Tim Horton's coffee
* Donuts (kabe fank)
* Roast turkey with cranberry jelly
* Steak (in any and all forms...;))
* Salmon with onions and cream cheese on a bagel
* BAGEL (egy amerika sos peksutemeny, valahol a kifli es a kenyer kozott van)
etc.

Truth be told, this country makes up for the rather anaemic state of its national cuisine by enthusiastically embracing (at least in the big cities) EVERY nation's cuisine as its own. As such, walking around in e.g. Toronto, in a single day you can literally eat yourself through the entire world, from Ethiopia and Somalia and Mexico through Japan and Africa and China and India to France and Italy and Greece and Afghanistan, and all the other countries in-between - and do so at very reasonable prices.:mrgreen:

Have a great time, and wishing you all the best during your visit of 'our true North'!
 

sunnysuomi

Állandó Tag
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Canadian dishes

Thank you, Hahalman. I certainly understand your puzzle of what to call "local food". I was using the phrase to refer to state or even smaller region specific dishes.

I read about the "unimaginative" Canadian cuisine :rolleyes:, about which I started to develop a strong disagreement. I do not know the tastes yet (sometimes can almost taste), but the variety and combination of vast number of Canadian ingredients does not support the dull attribute.

Salmon with onion and cream cheese on bagel and roast turkey with cranberry jelly are completely new for me and sound like . :)
Yes, I know bagel and puzzled why you waste the middle (referring to the hole). ;)

I will visit West Canada (AL, BC), so steak and sea food are welcome. ;) Nevertheless, I also like good salads and all kind of ethnic food. In addition, hopefully, I will be able to see a bit of Quebec state, as well.

Thanks again!
Will I have any trouble to find Hungarian spices (hot pepper) and ingredients (e.g. zold paprika lecsoba) if I would like to cook something Hungarian :cool: to my friends?
 

Tolimilla

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Dear Hahalman!

Your summary was interesting and useful.
Though, I still have a question: many people who move to other countries complain that they cannot find cottage cheese (túró) or sour cream (tejföl). Are there such things in Canada?
It might seem a stupid question, but it gets important if you wish to make some Hungarian dishes as sárgaborsó főzelék. (As far as I know there is no perfect equivalent of főzelék in English, if you know how to translate it, please tell me.)

By the way, are there differences in the stocks of big stores or they are usually the same?
 

sunnysuomi

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Állandó Tag
There is no problem finding sour cream or cottage cheese. Though, it might no be exactly the same (different fat content and/or texture) as at home/in Hungary/.

I frequently use "vegetable stew" for "fozelek". It might not be the official translation, but it does for me. :D

One general difference is that usually everything is packed in bigger quantity/volume... e.g. 1,89l juice, 4l milk, dozen(s) of ... Also, the brands are pretty different from that in Hungary or even in Europe. However, it just takes time to get accustomed to Canada, there is nothing that prevents you from living here. :)

Dear Hahalman!
Though, I still have a question: many people who move to other countries complain that they cannot find cottage cheese (túró) or sour cream (tejföl). Are there such things in Canada?
It might seem a stupid question, but it gets important if you wish to make some Hungarian dishes as sárgaborsó főzelék. (As far as I know there is no perfect equivalent of főzelék in English, if you know how to translate it, please tell me.)

By the way, are there differences in the stocks of big stores or they are usually the same?
 

Tolimilla

Állandó Tag
Állandó Tag
There is no problem finding sour cream or cottage cheese. Though, it might no be exactly the same (different fat content and/or texture) as at home/in Hungary/.

I frequently use "vegetable stew" for "fozelek". It might not be the official translation, but it does for me. :D

One general difference is that usually everything is packed in bigger quantity/volume... e.g. 1,89l juice, 4l milk, dozen(s) of ... Also, the brands are pretty different from that in Hungary or even in Europe. However, it just takes time to get accustomed to Canada, there is nothing that prevents you from living here. :)
Dear Sunnysuomi!

Thank you for your quick and detailed answer and I also thank you for your supportive last sentence. I really need it now. I am not going into details about my problems but every little drop of optimism and positivity given to me is a huge treasure.
 

Hahalman

Állandó Tag
Állandó Tag
Though, I still have a question: many people who move to other countries complain that they cannot find cottage cheese (túró) or sour cream (tejföl). Are there such things in Canada?
On the principle of better late than never...;)

Yes, as someone else has mentioned, you can find them, though it will take some investigation.

Here in T.O. you can find literary a multitude of East European grocery stores: some are strictly Hungarian, many are Romanian (but with a distinctly Hungarian flavour) and while most are Russian or Polish, they all cater to essentially the same clientele. You might want to check out 'Blue Danube', 'Mezesmacko', and the 'European Sausage House', although if you are looking for supermarket-style variety, your best bet remains 'Starsky' in Mississauga.

It is a bit of a trial-and-error process until you find that special 'magyar-tasting' cottege cheese; there are several varieties of Polish and Russian (by the latter I also mean Lithuanian, Letvian, etc.) cottage cheeses that are either close or even identical to it, but you really have to taste them first. As far as sour cream is concerned, in all honesty, I have never noticed a significant difference between the Hungarian vs. Canadian version (and sour cream is one of my absolute favourites!) but it may well be that I have been living here for too long to notice any more.;) You can find a lot of different kinds, ranging from the ones with 1% milkfat content to those with up to 20% (!this is the strictly kosher version, and it is deliciously thick almost like a creamcheese!).

By the way, are there differences in the stocks of big stores or they are usually the same?
Absolutely!

Most big stores belong to large commercial chains (Price Chopper, No Frills, Food Basics, Loblaws, Metro, etc) but are managed as individual franchise units (think of something similar to the old 'gebin') and hence they make a very active effort to adjust their product range to the specific tastes and demands of the immediate neighbourhood where they are located. A 'No Frills' (Hung. appr. 'Semmi Flanc'; a reasonably solid, middle-middle-class-oriented food supermarket) in Chinatown for example will try to stock its shelves somewhere between 10-50% with Far Eastern products, whereas a store belonging to the same chain but located on the corner of Wilson and Bathurst (in the middle of the old 'ghetto', i.e. one of several Jewish quarters) offers a range of products up to 50% of which are kosher and/or of Eastern European nature/origin.

Generally speaking, if all else fails and there are no 'ethnic' stores around, the nearest Jewish grocery store is likely to carry a lot of East European (or -like) stuff, simply because most Jews here have East European origins. Unless, of course, you are looking for anything pork.:p

Now, as to the prices... that is a different issue altogether.:( The Hungarian stores here seem to be involved in a silent war as to which can price itself out of the market faster; 'Mezesmacko' has gained a reputation (well deserved or not) of being one of the most expensive East European stores around, but the rest are really doing a good job of trying to catch up too. This may well be related to Hungarian customers forming a smaller market (economies of scope and scale...) than, say, Russians, although in light of the fact that more than a hundred thousand Hungarians call T.O. their home, I think it is more in line of keeping the tradition of trying to fleece the customer as quickly and efficiently as possible.;)

Oh, and if you ever walk into a Hungarian store, just wait for the customer service: I promise they will make you feel home immediately!:mrgreen:
 

Minou

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I was just wondering, why hasn't anybody mentioned maple syrup - isn't that a typical Canadian thing? My dad brought maple syrup to me when he was in Québec, and I found it delicious. He also made a kind of carrot cake and he said it was a famous canadian cake, and we ate it with the syrup.
 

darth1yoda

Új tag
I think Minou makes a great point, Maple syrup and pancakes is a canadian staple. Although you wont find many pancake houses like a few years ago, but still important :) And how could we forget our Lagers, (aka Beer). Spend any time watching American TV and you will hear mention of Canadian Beer.
 

Gabizita

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Tudtok olyan magyarorszag eredetu fozesi receptek oldalt ahol angolul talalhatok a receptek? A keresoben talaltam par toltott kaposzta receptet de valahogy egyik sem stimmel teljesen. Tobben amerikai ismerosok, paciensek kernek recepteket tolem, es mindig gond, es ido nekem leforditani. Elore koszonom .
 

Levente555

Új tag
:)

Poutine is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curd, covered with brown gravy and sometimes additional ingredients.

Poutine is a diner staple which originated in Quebec and can now be found across Canada. It is sold by fast food chains (such as New York Fries, A&W, Harvey's, Ed's Subs), in small "greasy spoon" type diners (commonly known as "cantines" or "casse-croûtes" in Quebec) and pubs, as well as by roadside chip wagons. International chains like McDonald's, A&W, KFC and Burger King also sell mass-produced poutine in Canada. Popular Quebec restaurants that serve poutine include Chez Ashton (Quebec City), La Banquise (Montreal), Louis (Sherbrooke), Lafleur Restaurants, Franx Supreme, La Belle Province, Le Petit Québec and Dic Ann's Hamburgers. Along with fries and pizza, poutine is a very common dish sold and eaten in high school cafeterias in various parts of Canada.
 
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