They say you don’t know a place unless you have shared food with its people. Learning about a place through its cuisine and planning one’s travel experiences around ‘discovery through food’ is a distinctive and wise travel choice. Famed Chef, author, and entertainer Anthony Bourdain has precisely this kind of gastronomic exploration down to perfection. How he stays so slim, I do not know. More and more in today’s world, we are seeing an interest in gourmet tourism. From day trips to month long culinary adventures, there is a visible trend developing with many opportunities to be had.
When I think of places like Italy and India, I can readily imagine and almost taste the distinct food and spice of each place. The same goes for Japan, Korea and the Middle East. But when I think of my own country, Canada, I have to dig a little deeper to bring to mind a distinct food culture. In all honesty, I don’t think we have just one but, more prominently, we have a broad array of regional cuisines to share with the world.
Oh, Canada. We are such a vastly spread out nation of people brought together from so many faraway places with only a 4.3% First Nations culture remaining. This, in and of itself, has an undeniable impact on our food. Our food culture has regional distinctions more than one overreaching flavor. But when it comes down to it, are we better off because of our diversity?
From a creamy maritime clam chowder or a late night Halifax Donair to a steamin’ hot greasy box of poutine in Quebec, many miles and savors are spanned. Not to skip over the traditional Acadian “Fricot”,a hearty stew containing potatoes, dumplings and meat, fish or seafood.
Ontario has incredible seasonal fruit and the most tender fresh water fish, Pickerel being one of the most popular. While Quebec has perhaps the most developed of Canada’s regional cuisine with a long list of favorites like tourtiere (meat pies), tarte au sucre (sugar pie), baked beans, soupe aux pois (pea soup), sweet and savory crepes, Creton (pork pate), poutine is the most well known and defining of them all.
Manitoba, like, Ontario, is known for its freshwater fish. Goldeye, Walleye, Northern Pike and trout traditionally smoked by the First Nations People and later by settlers and traders, are still popular delicacies today.
First Nations influence on the Manitoba food culture is palpable. Other First Nations foods, such as bison and wild game are smoked and dried. As a result, Winnipeg has some of the best charcuterie boards in the country…and don’t forget the perogies. We are mostly an immigrant culture after all.
In Saskatchewan, much of the food has been accumulated and passed on from different cultures such as its Eastern European settlers. It is influenced also by its topography and harsh climate. Along with wheat, Saskatchewan grows a ton of mustard seed and a portion of the world’s lentils.
You can find bannock (made with local wheat) and soup in just about every restaurant in the province. And because of the harsh cold winters, everyone knows how to pickle and preserve. Perogies are everywhere but made ‘local’ when stuffed with elk or smoked pork and served with homemade mustard and pickles. In summertime, the wild berries are a natural bounty as are sour cherries, so the berry desserts and syrups are distinctive.
Alberta Beef, need I say more? Actually, yes, I do need to elaborate, as bison dates way further back (120,000 years) and was a staple food for Alberta’s First People and remains popular today. Alberta, like Saskatchewan, grows mustard and legumes in bounty and has similar Eastern European influences.
And finally, we have arrived in British Columbia. BC has some of the best food in the country and how it is grown and prepared is persuaded by the healthy lifestyle of its population. Where the land meets the sea, East meets the West, and where the past meets the present; what this does to our food culture is incredible. Look at the uses of wild salmon alone. Candied salmon and salmon jerky are traditional foods of the First People. There’s baking it on a cedar plank, east meets west with the B.C sushi roll, while Salmon pate exposes a European twist to the fish.
Organic food is becoming the norm. All kinds of restaurateurs have tapped into the wave by offering farm to table menus. The concept of farm to table is no longer new to the city. Even small towns like Nelson, SaltSpring Island and Tofino have incredible health food awareness (and have for years) with abundant options for food travellers. On SaltSpring Island, there is a Saturday market and a Tuesday farmer’s market where locals and visitors can shop for wonderful, wholesome, bountiful foods. There is everything from local cheese to local kimchi. There are now small private daily food tours by SaltSpring Culinary Tour and larger group tours by Western Splendour should you arrive without a car or if you simply want to get the most out of the wine , beer, vodka, and cider tastings without having to drive.
http://www.gopacgolf.com/culinarytour.html
Food travel has more depth to it that we might expect. No matter what country or part of a country you may choose to visit, you will be sure to discover how food has an interconnected relationship with culture, history and place and how much ‘place’ itself has a profound effect on the food and people. While you may sip and savour in the delights of the present moment, with every bite, you have the opportunity to go back a long way in time.
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