Usually, when Stephanie Thompson or I sit down to write a food column, the idea is to share a recipe we enjoy, or in the case of my switchel column, the result of a sleepless night spent on Youtube.
This time, I want to share a few observations I made during a recent trip to Canada. Food is one of the easiest ways to experience culture and while traveling to the Western portion of Canada is more like going to another state as opposed to another country, there are still some interesting things to note.
Poutine
Why poutine isn’t more commonplace in the United States is something I won’t ever understand. Perhaps it’s due to the French-sounding name. Basic poutine is made serving a bed of French fries, which are then topped with cheese curds and covered in hot gravy; all three items are widely eaten in the U.S. In fact, it isn’t completely unheard of to have a side of gravy with French fries at local restaurants. Admittedly, I ordered the dish not expecting to like it, as cheese and gravy doesn’t sound appetizing. Sitting at an A&W restaurant in Kamloops, British Columbia, I thought even if I didn’t like it, I would have a tall, frosted mug of root beer and that would be worth the stop in itself. Poutine, as I quickly learned, is surprisingly good. I ended up having it four times over the course of my trip, including a chicken parmesan variation at a food court in the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta. There are many variations on the dish and so long as it keeps the fries, cheese, and gravy or sauce combination, it can be called poutine. I’d recommend trying it, especially on a cold night.
Tim Hortons
One of the most uniquely Canadian fast food chains is Tim Hortons, a coffee and baked-good shop initially started by famous hockey player Tim Horton. Think of it as similar to a Dunkin Doughnuts or a cross between a Krispy Kream shop and a Starbucks. Like the ubiquitous Green Goddess in the states, the restaurants are seemingly everywhere in much of Canada and outnumber McDonald’s the country’s largest fast food chain. Canadians clearly love their Timmy’s. In fact, the chain dominates the Canadian coffee market and aims to have 4,000 restaurants and 80 percent of that market in the coming years. Many start their day with a box of donut holes, called Tim Bits, and a double-double (a coffee with two servings of cream and sugar.)
The popularity of the chain didn’t impress me until stopping by the West Edmonton Mall and seeing a relatively small Tim Hortons with a large line of people waiting to make their order. The nearby tables, each could sit about a dozen people, were completely filled each time I walked by. South of Edmonton, in Stony Plain, Alberta, there was a Tim Hortons with a drive-though line extending into nearby street traffic.
The Tim Bits are pretty tasty and the Canadian maple donut they offer was probably the best donut I’ve eaten in a long time. Not too sweet with a maple flavor that doesn’t completely dominate the donut.
Candy
In the U.S., we’re accustomed to Hershey’s dominance in the candy market.One of the more interesting things I noticed was how much candy from Cadbury and Nestle was available thought convenience stores in British Columbia and Alberta. Nestle sells a Big Turk bar, which is Turkish delight covered in milk chocolate, that I’ve never seen before in the U.S. while Cadbury, which only comes to mind here during Easter, sells a large variety candy, including a new favorite of mine, the Wunderbar. Kit Kat bars are surprisingly different as well. In the U.S., they’re manufactured by Hershey while Nestle makes the candy for the rest of the world. In Canada, Kit Kats are larger and come in more flavors, including creme de menthe and cookies and cream. It’s possible to import a lot of candies from Canada, as well as the rest of the world, but it may result in some sticker shock and a bank account crying out in pain.
Potato chips
While potato chips aren’t exotic by any means, there are two Canadian flavors worth checking out, with one being relatively easy to pick up. One flavor I don’t understand not being popular in the U.S. is ketchup chips. French fries, also a product of the potato, are often eaten with ketchup, so why aren’t ketchup chips more available here? They’re pretty tasty, although if you plan to import a bag of Lays, be prepared for an even larger sticker shock, as Amazon.com lists them at $14.87 for a 180 gram bag.
Something more interesting are all-dressed flavor chips, and a person thinking about trying these tasty crisps out can easily stop by the local grocery store for a bag. Describing the specific flavor an all-dressed chip has is impossible. It’s a combination of sweet, savory and salty flavors that comes as a result of the chip being dusted with every seasoning imaginable.
They’re the number one flavor of potato chip in Canada and luckily for those of us living in the U.S., Ruffles currently sells bags of all-dressed chips here as part of a limited-time promotion. They quickly became a favored snack at the Star after I bought a couple of bags from Smith’s and everyone I’ve offered some to have enjoyed them. They’re definitely worth seeking out.
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