Canada and the United States have
many foods in common. But what
if you want to try eating more like a
Canadian? There are many special
foods, many of them from specific
regions or provinces, that you can try.Poutine
Poutine comes from the eastern province
of Quebec. Poutine is a dish of French
fries topped with brown gravy and cheese
curds. Legend has it that the dish started
in a diner when customers kept asking
for cheese on top of their fries. The
gravy, or sauce, was supposedly added
to the recipe as a way to keep everything
warm. Poutine is one of Quebec’s favorite
comfort junk foods. Many of the larger
cities in Canada host poutine week
festivals with cooking competitions.Tourtière
Also popular in Quebec, but in New
Brunswick too, is a meat pie called
tourtière. It is usually made of small cubes
of potatoes and minced pork, veal, or
beef, baked into a pie. Often the meat in
tourtière depends on what is available in
the area, so fish, rabbit, and wild game
can also be used. Tourtière is often eaten
at Christmas and New Year’s. Its name
comes from the dish it was traditionally
baked in. Tourtière is such a traditional
French-Canadian dish that it spread
throughout New England as Canadians
immigrated to those areas.Eat Like a Canadian
by Marcia Amidon Lusted