13 June 2008

Mmm...Canada: A wee bit of inspiration

Jennifer and I have received great response from people who've found out about Mmm...Canada, both savoury and sweet--and we're looking forward to reading about how Canada tastes to them.

At the same time, I've received notes from people who'd like to participate, but because they've never visited Canada, they're not sure what "Canadian food" is.

Well, you know...there are Canadians who aren't sure they can answer that question, so don't get too stressed about it (okay, I don't expect anyone to get stressed about it...this is supposed to be fun, and hopefully tasty).

Here's where I'll try and offer a bit of guidance. Instead of only giving you links to sample dishes, I'll just give you some raw ingredients...all Canadian-grown...All you need to do is be creative in how you use them. This by no means is a complete list, so if you know of something that I'm missing or you think would be a good addition, please leave a comment...

Dairy & Eggs

  • You probably don't need me to tell you about eggs, cheese, cream, milk, sour cream or yoghurt...and not all dairy products are made with cow's milk
  • You should know that we've a rich cheesemaking history.

Fish & Seafood:

  • Cod
  • Dulse (okay, it's a veg, but still)
  • East Coast Diver's Scallops
  • Halibut
  • Herring
  • Lobster
  • Manitoba Gold Eye
  • Pacific oyster
  • Pickerel
  • Prawns
  • Salmon
  • Trout
  • Whitefish
Fruits

  • Apples: Cortlands, crabapples, Crispins, Empires, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Idareds, McIntosh, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, Spartans
  • Berries: blackberries, blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, raspberries, saskatoon berries (or service berries), strawberries
  • Mellons: muskmellons, watermellons
  • Pears: Anjou, Bosc, Clapp, Bartletts
  • Stonefruits: apricots, cherries, chokecherries, nectarines, peaches, plums
  • Grapes
  • Rhubarb
  • Tomatoes

Grains

  • Barley
  • Buckwheat
  • Oats
  • Rye
  • Wheat

Meat & Poultry

  • Beef and Veal
  • Berkshire Piggies (and other breeds)
  • Bison
  • Caribou
  • Chicken
  • Duck
  • Foie gras
  • Mutton and Lamb
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Venison


Sweet Things

  • birch syrup
  • honey
  • maple syrup
  • molasses
  • sugar (from sugar beets)

Veggies

  • Asparagus
  • Aubergines (eggplants)
  • Beans and Peas
  • Broccoli and cauliflower
  • Corn
  • Courgettes (Zucchini), Cucumbers
  • Fiddleheads
  • Globe onions, green onions, leeks, ramps
  • Leafy things: cabbages, Chinese cabbage, lettuces, mustard greens, radicchio, rapini, spinach, celery
  • Morels
  • Peppers: sweet and hot varieties
  • Potatoes: sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold
  • Pumpkins and squashes: acorn, buttercup, butternut, hubbard, pepper, spaghetti
  • Root veggies: beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, rutabaga
  • Sprouts
Other things that I wasn't sure how to classify

  • Beers, wines, spirits
  • Canola oil
  • Garlic
  • Mustard
  • Red River Cereal
  • Soy
Miscellaneous association, and government websites--I've tried to keep the list to "noncommercial." If anyone has a link for foods from the any of the territories, I'd be very happy to know.

cheers!
jasmine

Related Post:
Invitation: Mmm...Canada





AddThis Social Bookmark Button

9 comments:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Great reminder about all of the wonderful food products of Canada. This could be the table of contents for the definitive Canadian cookbook!

Anonymous said...

Dulse. Oh my. Tried it on the shores of Halifax Harbour on a rainy day in September.

No matter how much you try to romanticize it, it still tastes like seaweed.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for being such a great Ambassador for Canadian Cuisine!

I might add morels and ramps to the veggie list and on the fish list, Manitoba Gold Eye and East Coast Diver's Scallops

Patricia Scarpin said...

I'm glad one doesn't have to be Canadian or live in Canada to take part in the event. I want to! :)
Tks for the email, sweetie!

Aimée said...

Don't forget foie gras, which is what I am using!!

glamah16 said...

Thanks for his. I was reading my vintage Cnadian cookbook last night and realized the ingrediants are naturally similar. I like the food from Quebec I think and will stick to that region perhaps.If only I could have briught back some Moose from Sweden!That would have been apropos too for certain regions.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this list. I'll try to participate.

Paz

jasmine said...

Hello all

Hopefully the list will be inspirational and allow you to have fun with Canadian ingredients.

Thanks Dana and Aimée for the additional ingredients!

j

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post, Jasmine. I had no idea what to do. Now I'm pretty sure I can come up with something. I don't know how creative, but something.