Ten Canadian Foods

When thinking of Canadian food, it’s hard to describe all the foods of the various first nations and immigrant groups that make up modern day Canada. Here are a few to try (some have similar counterparts “down south” in the USA).

Poutine: French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.

The Caesar: that drink that I had fling with for a week.

Nanaimo bar: a fudge-like bar.

Bannock and Beaver tail: fried dough, a dish common in some first nations. When the dough is shaped like a beaver tail, then it’s called a beaver tail. (Timbits: donut holes from Tim Hortons, Canada’s mainstream coffee chain.)

Peameal bacon: Canadian bacon (which is ham, really. Well, the Canadians do have a history of preserving the loin by rolling in pea flour, hence the name).

Game and fish, smoked and dried: from salmon jerky to whale blubber.

FJVRNTeU_V0Qsg2PCEQdaZ6EQQWNXWGmpL4LA4W--0Spt_qqiyFPBQ_FWWmnPyrXdc8sAOXSQnMBqKZQk2QUDfifYmGEIAONEJP3u_EPJhmBjoyRyIiblUnRpvpRv7AlwCUUBG5QNaMw723pjzgS0p_PUylBWcjYzzgcG3n-aFiWR97gRqe-K3T3xGButter tarts: much like a pecan pie but with no pecans.

Montreal style bagel: a chewy, yeasty, smaller, free-form bagel.

lobsterNova Scotia lobster roll: like a New England “lobstah” roll.

Maple syrup: in candy, on pancakes, and on bacon…

The Great Bagel Hunt in Bogota

A bagel with lox from Fratelli's.
A bagel with lox from Fratelli’s.

What I consider a real bagel is actually a “New York style” or a “Montreal-style” bagel. The Montreal style is more freestyle in appearance (according to Wikipedia). The major characteristic of these two types of bagels are that they are round breads with a whole in the center with a stretchy and dense dough. I have been on the hunt for a decent bagel here in Bogota.

Capital Bagels on Calle 95.
Capital Bagels on Calle 95.

I went to the international chain, Capital Bagel. Their bagel was not doughy and it had a weird taste. Then someone told me that the best one was at Fratelli’s. So I went there. It was the best one I’ve found here so far. While it was not doughy, at least the flavor was not bad. But it was not a New York style bagel. So ends my hunt. Clearly, this is not the place or the time for bagels. Instead, I’ll enjoy the fresh orange juice I can find on every street corner.