25 Canadian Foods You Need To Try At Least Once In Your Lifetime

Although Canada shares a border with the U.S., our northern neighbor holds its own charm and traditions. While the experience of traveling there may not be as culturally diverse as crossing an ocean, thanks to its rich history of immigration, there's much more to it than meets the eye. As with any novel destination, discovering the intricacies of a place through its food is often the best way to dig into the deeper story.

Many Canadian dishes have roots in Europe due to the country's immigration patterns, but the various provinces have adapted and created countless recipes you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. With a Pacific and Atlantic coast separated by thousands of miles of land, Canada has plenty to offer on the culinary front. From traditional meat and potato-based meals to fun bites with international buzz, your tastebuds are sure to be pleasantly surprised. Find out which Canadian foods you need to try at least once in your lifetime.

Per Canada's 2021 census, almost 10% of the population identifies as Indigenous. This significant influence is evident in a number of dishes, and bannock is a notable example. While modern versions are usually made with wheat flour and either fried or baked, traditional bannock was first made with a North American plant called camas.

Canadian environmental studies professor Nancy Turner explains to CBC that the camas bulb itself was typically dried and shaped into dense loaves. Importantly, the starchy food kept well over time, which naturally led it to become a staple of the diet. What was once purely a source of sustenance has become a popular item, and Indigenous-run cafes selling bannock with an assortment of toppings are increasingly common across the country.

Salmon has long been a favorite among seafood lovers worldwide, and it's certainly become easier to cook with modern kitchen appliances. However, for thousands of years, Indigenous people in coastal communities have enjoyed salmon, finding resourceful ways to prepare this fatty fish.

Cooking food over a fire is hardly novel, but populations in the Pacific Northwest started using a red cedar plank to protect the fish from the blaze (via NPR). The wood is first soaked, resulting in a smoky moist flavor-packed fish with a hint of cedar taste. Other types of wood planks can be used for grilling, but the First Nations & Indigenous Studies Department of the University of British Columbia highlights the importance of cedar in a multitude of facets of local Indigenous communities.

Don't call it pastrami — Montreal smoked meat has its own identity. The specialty is an attraction for locals and tourists who line up outside iconic delis to bite into a simple sandwich of rye bread stacked high with smoked meat, a dab of mustard, and a pickle on the side. While the components are few, the flavor is anything but simple. A whole brisket is dry cured, seasoned with peppercorns, coriander, mustard seed, and garlic, and left to marinate.

The dish's origin story is murky, but Montreal Jewish Public Library archivist Eiran Harris explains that smoked meat likely came to Canada through Romanian Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s (via Érudit). With the influx of New York-style kosher delicatessens in Montreal, the savory dish soon became widespread.

You can't go wrong with something named a butter tart. Made with a flaky pastry and a filling consisting of sugar, egg, syrup, vanilla, and butter, the result practically melts in your mouth. Raisins can be added to the rich mixture, though the purest form is our favorite.

According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, the dessert spans the length of the vast country, and as with any widespread delicacy, its origin story is disputed. Some accounts place it in 20th-century Ontario where the first recipe was found, while others suggest it was introduced by French women who immigrated to Quebec in the 17th century. Still, Northern Ontario prides itself on being the home of the butter tart, celebrating the dessert with a yearly festival.

There's no quicker way to satisfy your sweet tooth than by eating a slice of sugar pie. The Quebecois treat was introduced by the first French settlers in the province and is a traditional element of holiday dinners. A flaky short crust is filled with a smooth mixture of heavy cream, maple syrup, butter, egg, and flour. The result is moist with a lightly crystallized top and surprisingly balanced given the rich ingredients.

Funnily enough, brown sugar was once scarce in the French province, hence the use of maple syrup due to the plentiful local supply. Nowadays, the substitution is often reversed in places where maple syrup is harder to come by. Still, the original is most evocative of the French-Canadian province.

If you haven't examined a map of Canada's westernmost province, you'll be forgiven if you didn't know that Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island. More importantly, it's considered (at least by locals) to be the hometown of the sweet namesake bar. As with any iconic treat, variations are common, but the classic recipe consists of a coconut and graham crust layered with sweet custard and topped with chocolate ganache.

It offers the perfect textural contrast, but if you're not into layered bars, consider trying ice cream, fudge, cupcakes, and plenty more. Visitors to Nanaimo can taste their way through the city on the Nanaimo bar trail, enjoying the traditional style, twists to the original, or assorted desserts with the same flavor profile.

Potato chips vary from one place to another, with novelty flavors continuously released. However, ketchup chips are as Canadian as they come. In the 1970s, Ontario-based Hostess chip company set out to fill a gap in the crunchy chip market. While ketchup and fries are a classic combination, the brand realized that consumers couldn't enjoy the sweet, vinegary, and crunchy combo in a bag of chips.

So, it got to work producing ketchup in a powdered form, to bring the iconic pairing to a simple bag of chips. The company is now owned by Lay's, who still produces ketchup potato chips and ketchup Fritos Canada-wide. The numbers don't lie: Millions of bags of ketchup chips are sold every year, according to a PepsiCo spokesperson.

It's hard to go wrong with pie, especially in the summer when fruits are plentiful. In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a namesake berry is at the heart of the city's favorite dessert. Saskatoon berries may not be easy to find, but the small subtly sweet earthy fruit is worth seeking out.

Surprisingly, the berries are actually a member of the rose family and have a bit of a bite to them. The fruit is one-of-a-kind, boasting a number of health benefits that have earned it a title as a superfood. Locally, people pick them off the plant as a snack, but baked goods are an obvious alternative. Saskatoon berry pie consists of a buttery flaky shell, containing a mixture of sweet stewed fruit.

People tend to have serious opinions about their hot dog preferences, and in Montreal, steamies are the go-to. Forget about grill char marks on your bun, classic diners serve a basic wiener on a steamed white bun. A bit of yellow mustard, relish, and raw diced onions or cabbage are acceptable toppings, but it pretty much stops there.

The result is like a fluffy cloud wrapped around a juicy sausage with a textural crunch thanks to the toppings. It's perfect as a snack, or grab a couple and make it a meal. The diner favorite is so beloved that Montrealers have celebrated steamie week, with several days of pure hot dog gastronomy. On the flip side, other hot dog lovers opt for the toasty, made with a toasted bun.

With its easterly location, the province of Newfoundland has a number of specialties you'll want to try on a visit. A Jiggs dinner is a one-plate-meal kind of food and consists of boiled or cooked components like meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Stacey Lastoe writes for Parts Unknown about one rendition she tried, with corned beef, a turkey leg, mashed potatoes, greens, cabbage, and a dark rich gravy to seal the deal.

Lastoe notes that boiled mixed vegetables were once more common when meat was harder to come by, highlighting some of the dish's adaptations. No matter the specifics, a Jiggs dinner requires lengthy preparation and is best enjoyed with a boisterous group of family and friends. The hearty meal sure sticks to the bones, making it perfect for frigid coastal Atlantic winters.

Amidst Canada's multicultural profile, Acadian culture stands out in the Maritime provinces, for its unique traditions and practices. Of course, the Francophone community's culinary influences are of notable interest, and rappie pie is a crowd favorite. As it turns out, the dish was originally developed out of the need to make something nourishing from the lowly potato fields left to the Acadian population.

Food Bloggers of Canada explains that the first renditions were made with 20 pounds of potatoes to serve around 15 people. More importantly for the person making the dish, the potatoes are all grated which makes this a fairly time-consuming preparation — especially in large volumes. The spuds are baked in a casserole with stock, chicken, and pork, turning into a thick and hearty meal.

This hearty meat and potato dish is thought to be based on British shepherd's pie, but the Quebec rendition has its own twist. For starters, although the dish comes from the French province, its name (Chinese pie) is thought to allude to the fact that Chinese rail workers created the particular recipe, as Global News reports. However, the outlet points out that even among pâté chinois experts, the recipe's actual origin is unknown.

In the Canadian version, a ground beef and onion base is topped with creamed corn, then loaded up with mashed potatoes. The casserole is typically broiled at the end, leaving diners with a thin crunchy layer over the creamy contents. Add a squirt of ketchup for a sweet and tangy burst of flavor.