Celebrate Canada Day with a backyard bash

Explore and share our country’s favourite recipes

By Heather Camlot

July 1st is the time to celebrate our Canadian heritage. What better way to acknowledge our roots and uniqueness in the world than by serving local delicacies during the festivities.

Canada has a tremendous number of fantastic foods from which to choose. Some areas are renowned for certain produce, such as Newfoundland and Labrador bakeapples or New Brunswick fiddleheads.

Then there are dishes such as that gooey Quebec delight known as poutine that have crossed provincial and even international boundaries. This country has a cuisine that we can truly call our own.

Cook up uniquely Canadian fare

“People say there is no such thing as Canadian cuisine because they can’t rhyme off things like they can with French food,” says Elizabeth Baird, food editor for Canadian Living magazine and co-host of Canadian Living Cooks on Food Network Canada. “There’s cooking in Canada that exploits our natural ingredients. We also have a multicultural mix so we’re a new world cuisine.”

Danny Boome, host of Fresh and Wild on Food Network Canada, agrees. “Canada is the number one fusion country in the world with Australia because of the immigration,” he says. “There’s a real sense of appreciation of each of the cultures, and Canadians aren’t afraid to experiment.”

Delight in local produce

“The nice thing about Canada food-wise is the selection. You have all the choice in the world; I saw vegetables I’ve never seen before,” says British chef Boome, who spent three months crossing Canada to uncover the country’s bounty. Some of his favourites include lamb from Salt Spring Island, B.C., microbrews from Ontario, bison, elk and caribou from Calgary and, yes, poutine from Quebec.

The best way to learn about the foods of each province is to tour the local farmers’ markets. Visit provincial or municipal web sites for days and times. For more on foods native to Canada, take a look at Food Reference and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Craft a menu of cross-country dishes

Exploring our wonderful fare doesn’t mean having to give up the barbecue for your Canada Day party. Quite the opposite in fact: “We’re one of the most barbecuing countries in the world. Let’s celebrate that,” says Baird. Here are some suggestions for a truly Canadian celebration and the regions they promote:

Appetizers/sides

• herbed salmon (British Columbia) with Cobb salad
• wild rice, wheat berry or pearl barley salad from the Prairies
• Ontario corn relish
• mustard from Saskatchewan
• whole grain rolls topped with sunflower seeds from Manitoba

Main course

• smoked salmon (British Columbia), Arctic char (the North) or peppered mussels (Prince Edward Island) on the barbecue
• brew burgers made with bison or beef from Alberta

Desserts

• Quebec sugar pie with crème fraîche
• Quebec cheeses
• blueberry pie featuring blueberries from Nova Scotia
• apple pie featuring apples from New Brunswick
• figgy duff (Newfoundland)

Drinks

• wine from the Niagara region of southern Ontario or the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia

Locate more recipe resources online

At Food Network Canada, find recipes for a slew of Canadian dishes such as buckwheat blini with herbed smoked salmon cream cheese and roast beef tenderloin with Yorkshire pudding and beer-glazed vegetables. Visit RecipeSource for Nanaimo bars and butter tarts. Check out All Recipes for beaver tails and clam chowder Canadian military style and Canadian Living for true Canadian cheese fondue and Canadian egg-and-bacon melt.