Canadian Food

[moajab]

My DC and I have a Christmas tradition where they are blindfolded and have to put a pin in a map of the world. Wherever the pin lands we have to cook a meal from that country for our Christmas Eve dinner. (It's really a stealth attempt to get my over fussy DC to try new food!) This year the pin landed on Canada. So are there some Canadian Mumsnetters who could make some suggestions of what to cook please?

I'm looking for main courses, as pudding is already decided. I'd be particularly interested to hear about regional specialities, food typically eaten on special occasions and Christmas or New Year food.

[kelly14]

No idea whatsover but what a great fun idea! My dd isnt fussy at all but will defo be doing this with her as think we all sometimes get stuck in rut, cooking the same old meals.

Thanks for good idea, will pass onto my SIL as literally all my 3 yr old niece eats is chciken nuggets everyday! despite her mum being indian who cooks the most amazing curries all the time!

[BunnyLebowski]

Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup?!

Seriously though, I love this idea so much I'm going to nick it!

[FireOverBethlehem]

I'm sure you'll get some recipe ideas but, if you don't, could you serve up French food, and say it's from the Quebec area of Canada?

[blackice]

To be honest, Canadian food is pretty much the same as the U.S.
Canada-specific food that comes to mind is:

• tourtiere (meat pie)
  
• fiddle head soup
  
• as above, 'sugaring off' meals are popular in the spring. This is to celebrate when the maple sap starts running and is collected from the trees.
  
• poutine (chips, gravy and cheese curds - super tasty but not the most elegant of meals! usually served out of a chip wagon!)
  
• in western Canada, perogies are very popular. They are served at large family gatherings, including Christmas. Although they are of Polish/Ukrainian origin and taken over to Canada early last century, they have been adapted to Canadian ingredients, ie made with cheddar cheese rather than the very mild white cheese that they are made with in Eastern Europe.

[blackice]

sorry, my 'sugaring off' reference was to the bacon/maple syrup suggestion as that's what is served when you go to a sugar shack for a meal. Huge plates of bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc all covered in pools of maple syrup.

[NettoHoHoHoSuperstar]

Poutine.
I want to have a go at making it myself.

[moajab]

Wow so many responses already! Thank you I like the sound of the Tourtiere - will def make that. And maybe the poutine. We like to do a buffet so small portions of lots of different foods is the idea! So any other ideas are welcome!

Pancakes with maple syrup is pudding, along with nanaimo bars!

I love perogies, but the pin landed on Russia last year so we had those then!

Love the idea that I might have started a tradition for others but quick disclaimer to anyone thinking I must be mad super mum to cook such a spread on Christmas Eve - we are going to my parents on Christmas Day so I don't cook then!

[FredFredGeorge]

Tim Hortons Donuts?

[MuffinPaws]

Beaver tails! I had them at a fair once and they were sold by a Canadian couple.
recipe
I had apple and sultanas in mine, dh had creamed ham and mushroom.

[StuckOnTopOfTheChristmasTree]

I was there for a couple of months and the food was very much 'american' in style. A couple of things that stood out for us - elk burgers - if you can source some exotic mince, and the other one was salt and pepper chicken wings. Every pub seemed to have one night a week that was a chicken wing special in lots of flavours, hot and spicy, mustard chicken, etc but our favourite was the salt and pepper.

[moajab]

I think the DC would love the hicken wings. Do you just make a spice mixture and rub it onto the chicken wing and then grill? or fry?

to everyone for these ideas. Lots for me and the DC to think about. Very tempted by the Beavers Tails. Wondering whether to add them to the puddings. Are 3 different puddings for 5 people a bit OTT?!

[HenriettaTurkey]

What I remember about Christmas in Canada was a whole load of egg nog. Yum!

[Jojobells1986]

We went to visit family in Canada a couple of years ago. They fed us KFC! DH's cousin also took us out for poutine & funnel cake!

[stressedHEmum]

Cretons - a kind of rough pate made from pork mince. My kids love it with toast.

[StuckOnTopOfTheChristmasTree]

moajab - I've no idea how they were done but my guess would be deep fried as they were very crispy. I think some of the flavours may have been added afterwards (so they could churn out lots of chicken wings in different flavours) but if you are just doing at home then you could put the rub on first so it has even more time to penetrate the chicken.
Good luck - some great ideas on here! Its pretty rustic food definitely in Canada, but definitely tasty. And I love your map idea - will see if my brain remembers it when my kids are older.