Canada Day Special – Edible Gifts

Fill the snack bowl with ketchup chips, pour the maple syrup over your pancakes and sautée those fiddleheads, it’s Canada Day again! Besides poutine, butter tarts and Nanaimo bars, what other culinary contributions has Canada offered to the world?

Lentils
The province of Saskatchewan has become “…the world’s largest exporter of green lentils...” according to the province’s government website. Both green and red lentils are grown here although other varieties do exist.
Lentils are a great source of plant-based protein and are high in fibre and easy to prepare. Red lentils also contain a significant amount of potassium, iron, manganese and folate.
For everything you need to know about Canadian lentils, including recipes and nutritional information, click here.
Also, check out our previous lentil posts: Lentil Me Your Ears  &  Yentl Lentil

Maple Syrup
This sweet tree sap is often synonymous with Canada. As a natural sweetener it can be used as a substitute for refined sugar.
Check out our previous post, The Sugar Bush, for a quick overview of maple syrup.

Mustard
Saskatchewan strikes again! According to the Saskatchewan government website this province is “…the world’s largest mustard exporters.” There are three types grown here: yellow whose main market is North America; brown mainly for European markets and Oriental, which is popular in Asian markets. It may seem like a humble accompaniment to sandwiches but the condiment made from mustard seeds does have health benefits. Yellow mustard seeds contain selenium and along with the addition of turmeric (often for colour) gives mustard its anti-inflammatory effect.

And some notable food events happening across the country this summer:

British Colombia (BC)
Drive through the Okanagan Valley in central B.C. for a cornucopia of fruit: peaches, cherries, apricots, plums and wines made from such.

Calgary, Alberta
Free Stampede Breakfast! Usually loaded with some manner of pig product, these breakfasts of meat and pancakes are served up for free around the city during the annual Stampede extravaganza in early July. It is hosted by various organizations who volunteer to prepare and serve the most important meal of the day. Get there early to get a prime spot in the line-up.

Toronto, Ontario
Check out what some of Toronto’s restaurants have to offer at Summerlicious. Or go Greek at A Taste of the Danforth.

Drummondville, Quebec
My Canada includes poutine with vegetarian gravy and vegetarian cheese! Check out the Festival de la poutine, happening in August in la belle province i.e. Quebec.

New Brunswick
Forget the lobster, it’s Chocolate Fest in August!

 

Our other Canadian-related posts.