Introduction

So I did a little research on Canadian food. In my research about Canadian food I found out that Canada's food is very influenced by the British - Scottish and the French and it is very different between where in Canada you are located. It is most likely that the relation to British - Scottish food culture is from back in the days when Canada was a British colony. Also there are links between food in the United States and in Canada, probably because those two countries locations.

The things that are called typical Canadian things are often not just Canadian because the ingredients come from other countries – the recipe is just Canadian. Some people even say that the Canadian cuisine is not a Canadian one, they say it is just cuisines taken from many other countries. The Canadian cuisine is very international and many of the most popular dishes come from other countries. That is because of how many people from other countries live their. Chinese-, Italian-, Indianfood and more are examples of popular food in Canada. 

Hlín 

Iconic Canadian food

This is my second blog and I was not really sure about what to write about. Then I decided to talk just loosely about the most typical Canadian foods/recipes or things that are popular in the Candian food culture. I found an article from Huffington Post and I chose from that site few things I would like to tell you about. The article about Canadian cuisine helped me a lot with finding things that are the most popular ones in Canada. I will put the link of the sources beneath. 

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is probably the most famous Canadian food icon and I think most people link Canada and maple syrup together. The maple syrup can be made from most of the maple tree species. The indigenous people in North America were the first to use it and collect it. In 1970s the technology had improved. Nowadays Quebec in Canada is the largest producer and Canada's exports exceed about 130.5 US dollars per year. The Canadians use the syrup in all kinds of baking and cooking but what they love is putting it on their breakfast pancakes.

Poutine

The poutine is sometimes called Canada's official national dish. It is made out of french fries that are topped with a light brown sauce and cheese. The dish comes originally from Quebec and was originated in the 1950s but can now be found almost everywhere in the country and is often sold in fast food chains like Burger King and McDonalds.

Ketchup chips

The ketchup flavored chips were first put out on the market in the 1980s by a company called Herr's. The ketchup chips are exclusively Canadian but only one in every ten Candians know that. The ketchup chips from Lay's are now the most popular ones and they are also sold in some places in the United States. I found this chip flavour very interesing and I had never heard of it before.

 
Kraft Dinner

The idea of the Kraft Dinner first came out in the Great Depression and the company Kraft introduced the product in the United States and Canada in 1937. In the United States and in Australia the Kraft Dinner is better known as Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. It was and still is very popular mostly because of how cheap it is and easy in making.
 

Montreal-style bagel

The Montreal-style bagels are not typical ones like we know. The Montreal-style ones are handmade and wood-fired baked, they are also sweeter, smaller and denser then the once we are used to. The Montreal bagels are originally European and were brought to North America by jews from eastern Europe and the first baked in Montreal by Hyman Seligman. Both nowadays and back in the days special bagels shops are very popular in Canada but there are also two in New York. The Montreal-style bagels are also selled in just normal bakery's.
Pierogi

So this dish is not originally Canadian but since Canada has so many immigrants from Poland, Russia and Ukraine, this dish has become a really popular one. This dish comes originally from Poland and it is also known as dumblings. The pierogi/dumblings are unleavened dough that is filled with ingredients like for example; potatoes, cheese or ground meet. The filled dough is then boiled in water, butter and usually onions. When I was in Estonia in 2012 I tasted pierogi/dumplings at a Russian restaurant. The piergoi/dumplings were filled with both meat and cheese and were served in a bowl of hot water so they were fresher. This dish does not look very good but the taste is good I can tell you.

Probably many other things are known as typical Canadian, but if I would talk about them all it would take many days to read this blog so I am going to stop now. Hope you enjoyed this article.

Here are the resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/28/canadian-food_n_2869764.html

http://o.canada.com/life/who-invented-ketchup-chips

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Dinner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal-style_bagel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierogi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup#Europeans

Hlín

 

Meals of the day - Canada

Breakfast 
People in Canada eat breakfast before 12 o'clock in the morning. The Canadians prefer eggs, bacon and pancakes for breakfast. Maybe they would do mapled syrup glazed bacon but then they put maple syrup on the bacon and bake it in the oven.Toasts with peanut butter and jelly are also quite popular and cereal too.

Many people drink either tea or coffee with their breakfast.Water, milk and juices are the most popular drinks for children. 

Lunch
The Canadian people eat lunch somewhere between 11am and 3pm. Sandwiches are popular as lunch in the work week and children usually take them to school. Salads, soups, tacos, pizzas and burritos are also quite popular as lunch.

Dinner

Dinner is eaten somewhere between 5pm and 9pm. For dinner Canadian people often eat meat or fish dishes. All sorts of salads and vegetables are also eaten for dinner. The Canadians drink water, sodas or wine with their dinners. 

Hlín

Resourches:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunch#North_America
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast

Asian Salmon - recipe

I thought I should maybe find one recipe that is not a cake or somthing unhealthy and I found this salmon recipe. Personally I love salmon and the photos looked really good. Hope you enjoy this dish if you make it :) The preperation takes about 15 minuets and the cooking of the salmon 30 minuets This recipe makes 8 servings.

910 g salmon fillets, with skin 

30 ml olive oil

30 ml rice vinegar

30 ml soy sauce 

15 g packed brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 g ground black pepper

20 g minced onion

15 ml sesame oil

370 g long-grain white rice

1 g dried dill weed

710 ml water

 Step 1:

Make several shallow slashes in the skinless side of the salmon fillets. Place fillets skin-side down in a glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, pepper, onion and sesame oil. Pour the liquid over the salmon, cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Step 2:

Preheat the oven to 175°C.  

Step 3:

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water, and dill weed. Cover pan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before removing lid and fluffing rice with a fork.

Step 4: 

Remove cover from salmon, and bake the fish and the marinade for about 30 minutes, or until fish can be flaked with a fork. Serve salmon over the rice, and pour sauce over.  

Butter Tarts - recipe

Butter Tarts

The Butter Tarts is more popular with the English speking part of Canada and in the eastern site then in the English speaking part. The Butter Tarts are considered one of Canada's most quintessential deserts. The tarts are buttery and the filling is made with butter, sugar, eggs and syrup. Often they put raisins, some sort of nuts, chocolate chips or cocnut flakes along with the filling. Butter tarts are very similar to the pecan pie from the United States and the French-Canadian sugar pie. I would like to taste this recipe I found, mostly because it is an award winning one:

The best butter tarts in Canada in 1970s

pie pastry

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 caup packed brown sugar

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 lightly beaten egg

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

The preperation time is about 45 minuets and the cooking time 25 minuets. This recipe makes about 16 servings.

Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 10cm (approx) circles; fit dough circles into muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill. In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Drain raisins. Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts. Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling. Canadians fall into two camps about butter tarts and are quite loyal to their favourite type: runny or firm. I like runny-- the type that dribbles when you bite into one; if you like firm, bake them for the full 20 minutes, even adding another minute or two if you wish. Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

I got the recipe from this link: http://www.food.com/recipe/award-winning-butter-tarts-14756

Cinnamon Buns - recipe

I found this lovely looking cinnbons and I decided to share the recipe with you. These cinnabons are very soft and easy in making. The preperation time is about 15 minuets and the baking time 20 minuets. The recipe makes about 24 cinnamon buns.

235 ml milk

1 egg, beaten

55 g melted butter

60 ml water

49 g instant vanilla pudding mix

550 g bread flour

10 g white sugar

3 g salt

9 g bread machine yeast

5 g ground cinnamon

30 g chopped walnuts (optional)

40 g raisins (optional)

5 ml milk

180 g confectioners' sugar

55 g butter, softened

5 ml vanilla extract

Step 1:

In a bread machine pan, place the milk, beaten egg, melted butter, water, vanilla pudding mix, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle. 

Step 2:

When cycle is finished, remove the dough, and knead for 3 to 5 minutes. Roll out to a large rectangle.

Step 3:

Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over dough. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and raisins, if desired. Starting with the widest end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch to seal seams. Cut into 1.25cm to 2.5cm slices, and place in a greased 23x33cm pan. Place in a draft-free space, and allow to rise until doubled.

Step 4: 

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To make frosting, mix the milk, confectioners sugar, softened butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.

Took it from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Soft-Moist-and-Gooey-Cinnamon-Buns/Detail.aspx?evt19=1&scale=24&ismetric=1

Hlín    

 

Video - Nanaimo Bars

So hello there, here is the video from me. When we decided to do videos were we would be making food from New Zealand, Canada and Australia I really wanted to do the Canadian one. The girls were fine with that and than I started digging for good, but also easy Canadian recipes. I had Canadian food and drinks in a seminar in English class so I knew a few things about the “most Canadian ones”. First I wanted to make a typical Canadian solomon dish but than I thought I should probably do something more easier an cheaper and than I came up with the Nanaimo Bars.

The Nanaimo Bars are three layered chocolate - nuts bars. They taste a bit like chocolate cake but though it is very different. The Canadians really like these bars and they have many different recipes that include different things. The bars are most popular in British Columbia and also in the United States. I found a recipe and used it beside me but than I did some things my way. The outcome was delicious. Here is my recipe:

First layer:

1 cup crunched Graham biscuits

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/3 finely chopped pecan nuts (doesn't matter what type of nuts you use, use your favorite!)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup almost melted butter

1 egg

Second layer – the filling:

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons caramel custard powder (use the flavor you want!)

1/2 tablespoon vanilla drops

2 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Third layer – the topping:

120 grams semi dark chocholate (Mine included 45% cocoa)

1-2 tablespoons butter

For instructions you have to watch the video and if you have questions you can just comment here beneath. I got the original recipe from the site: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/nanaimo_bars.php

Hlín

Summary - Last post!

Hello!
This will be our last post on this blog, I hope you have liked reading our blog.

Overall the food culture in these countries is both very similar but in the same time very different from each other. They have all been quite a bit influenced by the British and the Irish. Australia and New Zealand are the most similar ones hence how close they are together but all to they still share the same aspects. We learned a lot making this project and it changed our view to the world. We liked the idea of having one big project instead of a final exam. Thank you for reading our blog and we really hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did Have a great summer everyone!

Fjóla, Hlín, Þórey