What is “Canadian cuisine”?

Pemmican to Poutine panel—Suman Roy, Brad Long and Rebecca Leheup

By Colleen Isherwood
Editor

TORONTO—When India-born Bal Arneson, star of the TV show Spice Goddess, came to Canada, her relatives introduced her to what they thought of as Canadian cuisine.

“Here is how Canadian people eat,” her sister-in-law told her, handing her some white bread, cold meat and a container of mayonnaise. This is Canadian food.”

And Suman Roy, executive chef and chef/trainer at Sodexo and instructor at Centennial College, has been asked “about that skunk and polar bear you eat in Canada.”

Skewed points of view to be sure!  But just what is Canadian cuisine? This was the subject of more than one panel at the Culture & Cuisine Cavalcade, hosted by Centennial College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture, held at Montgomery’s Inn in Toronto on June 8.

One idea stood out—food is a great medium of cultural expression—it’s part of every celebration.

Here’s one clue to Canadian cuisine—Canada’s Food Guide is now available in many different languages.  And the guide is not just a translation—it incorporates foods from those cultures.

Ellen Desjardins, PhD, who is both a nutritionist and a geographer, noted Canadian food is all about “unprecedented diversity.” She noted that over 50 per cent of the people in Toronto were not born in Canada, and that diversity, food restrictions and vegetarianism are all important trends in Canadian cuisine.

Desjardins was also one of several speakers to talk about the culture of local and seasonal eating. “Our farmers are having a crisis,” she noted, adding that she was in favour of community supported agriculture—or having a direct relationship with people on the farm. At the Waterloo Food System Round Table, there’s a group of people who make the mental connection between food and its context—reflecting on the food people are buying. “That link needs to be made,” she said, and “chefs are key.”

Asked about the link between Canadian cuisine and tourism, Rebecca Leheup, executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA), noted: “It’s difficult to attract visitors unless it’s an authentic experience.  Even if the food comes from another culture, it’s still Canadian.  We can’t encourage people to come here if we don’t recognize that.”

When chef Brad Long was asked by Pronto Restaurant and the CN Tower to develop a Canadian cuisine, he didn’t know what that meant or why they wanted to do it.

He did some research “to get past poutine and butter tarts in Ontario.”

“Ontario has amazing ingredients—when you go to Cleveland, they put a premium price on our potatoes,” he noted.

“If you’re a cook, with really good food and fresh ingredients, Canadian cuisine can be pretty much anything you want.”

Long’s new restaurant at Evergreen Brickworks opens this month.

Suman Roy, who moderated the Cavalcade’s panel called “From Pemmican to Poutine” and co-authored the book by the same name, was approached by the High Commissioner of India to write a book on Canadian cuisine. “They asked an Indian guy to write a book on Canadian cuisine—that’s what Canadian cuisine is all about. It’s a cuisine based more on ingredients than flavours.”

Roy presented delegates with an edible “meat map” of Canada, incorporating muskox prosciutto from the Territories, candied salmon from BC, bison from the Prairies, elk sausage from Ontario, duck from Quebec and cod from Atlantic Canada.

Industrialized farming

The From Pemmican to Poutine panel also spoke about the industrialization of farming in Canada since World War II. The primary requirements of farmed food are that it be easy to use and inexpensive.

“People aren’t moving out to the country,” Leheup noted. “There is no small- to medium-sized farming any more—those people have other jobs.

“The average age of a farmer is 57, and we are losing farmers and farm land.”

For that matter, “very few fisheries actually have succession plans” either.

Leheup cited Prince Edward County as a community that has successfully connected local farmers and restaurateurs—and boosted tourism in the process. “As a tourism destination, look at Prince Edward County,” she said. They’re fully focused on local, seasonal and fresh food.”

Urban vs. rural cuisine

Is there a divide between urban and rural cuisine in Canada?

“Definitely,” said Brooke Ali, co-author of From Pemmican to Poutine. “There is a bit of a divide because of availability, but they’re not totally different.”

Leheup noted that there are different influences in the country—that there’s a German influence on church suppers in certain areas of the country, but that cuisine is not necessarily found in restaurants day to day. “The vegan or vegetarian trend hasn’t necessarily hit rural areas.”

Roy noted a return to comfort foods, and Ali added, “I don’t think comfort food ever really went away—home food is where the real culture is.”