Authentic Canadian Foods to try on your travels

From wonderfully fresh seafood to innovative vegan offerings, there's much more to Canadian food than its famous chips and gravy dish - although it's certainly not a bad place to start! The country's most famous food product may be maple syrup, with around 70 million kilograms exported every year, but Canada boasts plenty of other much-loved food options, from its renowned Alberta beef to the world-class wines of Niagara.

Much of the country's cuisine as it stands today can be traced back to the various settlers and immigrants who have put down roots here, as well as indigenous traditions. The most prominent influences are French, English and Scottish, thanks to the settlers of the 17th and 18th centuries, but more recent immigration has resulted in fantastically diverse food scenes, as evidenced by Vancouver's Chinatown and the Greektown of Toronto.

This culturally rich background, coupled with varied landscapes ranging from rugged coast to expansive grasslands, makes for a dining scene brimming with flavour and quality. What's more, every region of this expansive country has its own delicacies - ever tried Québec's yellow split pea soup, or Calgary's ginger beef? Whichever part of the country you're visiting, there are local dishes waiting to be savoured. 
Not sure where to start? Here is our guide to ten of the most authentic Canadian dishes to look out for on your holiday.

1. Poutine

Probably Canada's most famous dish, we couldn't compile this list without the addition of poutine. While in the UK, our condiment of choice is tomato ketchup, chips in Canada are topped with cheese curds and gravy to form this tantalising delicacy. While the traditional recipe calls for only those three ingredients, modern twists include the addition of everything from bacon and onions to curry and bolognese sauce. 

The beloved dish is undoubtedly the king of fast food in Canada, especially in Quebec. It was created in the region in the 1950s, although its exact origins are frustratingly something of a mystery, with a number of restaurants in the area claiming to have invented it. One thing is certain - its roots are decidedly humble, having been the go-to dish at greasy spoon cafes and sports matches. 
Today, it is enjoyed throughout the country, and has become widely known as the Canadian national dish. You can find it on the menus of restaurants, cafes and pubs, and even famous fast food chains offer their own take on it.

2. Lobster Rolls

Canada is known for its great variety of fresh seafood, and if you're travelling south to Nova Scotia, you can't help but notice that the province is immensely proud of its lobster fishing history, and with good reason - the lobster here is hailed as some of the best in the world. Happily, lobster is readily available throughout the year in Nova Scotia, and one of the best ways to enjoy the local fare is lobster rolls - the perfect snack to recharge with on a stroll along the waterfront. The dish is simplicity at its finest - just fresh lobster meat in a grilled hot dog bun with some butter and mayonnaise. Nova Scotia isn't the only place you'll find this famous Canadian food - Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick also lay claim to the delicacy - but here you'll find them available at cafes and food stalls at almost every turn.

3. Peameal Bacon Sandwich

When it comes to Canadian breakfast foods, you can't go wrong with a bacon sandwich - what better way to fuel your sightseeing? We’re not talking about any old bacon sarnie, though. In Canada, the sandwich of choice consists of peameal bacon served in a roll with a dollop of mustard. Nowadays, there are a wide variety of tweaks to the traditional recipe, the most popular being the addition of cheese, egg and/or lettuce and tomato. It can be enjoyed at any time of the day, but is popular as a breakfast dish, and we have to admit, it certainly beats muesli! This delicacy can usually be found throughout the country, but is a particular favourite of the Ontario province. This is largely due to the fact that bacon itself was developed by William Davies, a Toronto butcher, in the 1850s. Made from unsmoked pork loins that have been wet cured, it quickly took off and has been synonymous with the city ever since. The bacon used to be rolled in ground yellow peas, hence its name, but is now more likely to be rolled in cornmeal.

4. Tourtière

If you are partial to a meat pie or Cornish pasty, you won't want to pass up the opportunity to try tourtière while in Canada. This hearty French-Canadian delicacy consists of minced or cubed meat (usually pork or beef) and potatoes encased in pastry. There are regional variations of the dish, for example, in parts of Eastern Quebec locals often use game instead of meat, while in Montreal the filling consists of only ground pork. The pie originated in Quebec, and is still enjoyed as part of the traditional Christmas feast in the province. While its exact origins are unknown, the earliest mentions of the tourtière date all the way back to the 17th century, having most likely been brought by settlers during colonisation when Quebec became known as New France. The tourtière was originally made using passenger pigeons -'tourtes' - a species endemic to North America, but the birds became extinct in the early 20th century, largely due to overhunting.

5. Montreal Hot Dog

While the humble hot dog may not seem like a traditional Canadian food, the beloved fast food has been a firm favourite in Montreal for more than a century. Even a city-wide ban on food carts, which lasted for 66 years before being lifted in 2013, couldn't dampen the locals' love of this dish. You'll find two different types on offer in the city - the steamie, which requires both the bun and sausage to be steamed, and the toastie, which consists of a grilled sausage and toasted bun. When it comes to toppings, the most popular option is the 'all-dressed', which includes onion, mustard, coleslaw and relish. Not a fan of hot dogs? There's another option for a quick bite in the city. The Montreal smoked meat sandwich is made using meat developed by Romanian immigrant Reuben Schwartz in the 1920s. It is similar to pastrami, but with a stronger, smokier, flavour.

6. Saskatoon Berry pies

Saskatoon berries hail from Western Canada, and can be found in the region from British Columbia to the Plains. They are often compared with blueberries and blackberries, but have a nutty flavour. The berries were first eaten by indigenous people in Canada, who used to ground them up and store them over the winter, but were later used in various desserts. This brings us to our next traditional dish - Saskatoon berry pie. This is a relatively simple dessert formed of pastry with a berry, sugar, cornstarch, butter and lemon juice filling, and is usually served warm with a healthy dose of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. The pie is believed to have been developed in the Prairies, and it remains a beloved dessert today, although blueberries are sometimes used as a substitute for Saskatoon berries.

7. Beaver tails

This next sweet treat has been enjoyed in Canada for more than four decades and has become a much-loved icon of Canadian cuisine. The Beaver Tail is a flattened pastry stretched by hand into a shape resembling a... you guessed it... beaver's tail. The thin pastry is then fried before being smothered in butter and a choice of various toppings, including Nutella, maple syrup, caramel and lemon. 
It is believed that the sweet pastry originated from a similar dessert that was made on early Canadian farms using surplus dough. However, the snack as it is known today, as well as the copyrighted Beaver Tails name, was created by Pam and Grant Hooker in 1978. They were first sold at a local fair near Ottawa, and a number of stores across the country followed soon after.

8. Caesar

When it comes to famous Canadian drinks, it would be remiss not to mention the beloved Caesar. After all, Canadians drink around 400 million of them every year. This spicy cocktail usually consists of vodka, clamato juice, tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, served with celery and lime. The drink is similar to a Bloody Mary, with one significant difference. While a Bloody Mary uses a base of tomato juice, the Caesar uses clamato juice - a mix of tomato juice and clam broth. 
The Caesar was invented by bar manager Walter Chell in Calgary in 1969. Since then, it has become something of a cultural symbol, with each bar in the country offering their own unique twist on the classic drink. In fact, the drink even has its own celebration - National Caesar Day - held on May 18 every year.

9. Nanaimo Bars

Another tempting dish, the Nanaimo bar is a no-bake dessert that is formed of three layers. It usually has a nutty, wafer base, a middle layer of thick custard filling and a topping of chocolate ganache. While this is the traditional recipe, there are now many variations of the sweet favourite, including the addition of peanut butter, white chocolate and mocha. 
Nanaimo bars were, unsurprisingly, created in the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. However, their exact origins remain clouded in mystery. A number of different families and venues have claimed to have invented the bar, but the earliest recorded mention dates back to 1953, when it was published in the Edith Adams' prize cookbook.

10. Butter Tarts

Another beloved staple of traditional Canadian food, the butter tart is a tantalisingly sweet pastry with a filling made from butter, egg, sugar, and syrup. The centre is rich and gooey, with a satisfyingly crunchy top layer. The earliest recipe found to date was from 1900 and originates from the city of Barrie in Ontario. However, it is possible that the dessert has a much older history. Some people believe that it evolved from the French sugar pie after being brought to Quebec by young French women in the 17th century. 
Today you can find butter tarts across Canada in bakeries, restaurants and supermarkets. This simple but irresistible Canadian dessert is also celebrated with its own festival, held annually in Ontario.

Has this guide to traditional Canadian food whet your appetite for the real deal? Well, we're not surprised. As a country full of excellent produce and diverse culture, there's a meal here for every palate.  And we've barely scratched the surface of all of those tempting culinary delights... 

Though many of these dishes include meat or fish, Canada isn’t lacking when it comes to vegan or vegetarian options, they’re just not considered ‘authentically Canadian’. However, there are a number of classic dishes we haven’t mentioned as well. These include maple taffy, a chewy candy hailing from Quebec, or the full Canadian breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and pancakes. And then there's Tim Hortons, that beloved Canadian coffee chain that provides over five million Canadians with their caffeine fix every morning. Whether you are holidaying in the Rockies or downtown Toronto, you'll find plenty of enticing delicacies to fuel your sightseeing.