Canadian-ism, sweet tooth | Correr Es Mi Destino

Sweet Tooth (5/10)

9 February 2008By Zhu 12 Comments

Weather, hockey, bilingualism, hugeness… what was I saying already? Sorry, I lost my concentration. I was writing my Canadian-ism series and suddenly got hungry. And there I am, one hand on the keyboard, the other one holding a small maple syrup candy. Sweet as hell, I’m high on sugar. Alright, let me see…

Yes, Canadian treats. Good. Sweet stuffs to help us survive harsh winter. Just have a look at that!

Canada’s trademark sweet is of course maple syrup and its many derivate products such as:

Maple butter, a creamy spread
Maple sugar, a simple sweet
Maple toffee on snow, to be eaten outdoor
Maple butter tart, nothing sweeter
Maple ice wine, a dessert wine
Maple vinaigrette, perfect for sweet salads

Among my favorite are also:

Beaver tails that are also a typical piece of Canadian-ism, although popular everywhere in North America : it’s a piece of fried dough, usually with some sweet spread on top (yes, maple syrup is of course a favorite!). Mostly eaten at festivals and during outdoor activities, it’s a winter favorite.

The famous butter tart is said to have evolved from pecan pie brought North by slaves from the US: the flaky pastry with a filling of butter, eggs and brown sugar is simply delicious… It’s probably the most characteristic Canadian pastry and one of our earliest known recipe.

Nanaimo bars are a West coast delicacy — yellow custard sandwiched between two outer layers of chocolate — are available throughout the country, all coffee shops serve it here, including Starbucks that popularized it abroad.

Montreal bagels, brought by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, are almost as famous as their NY counterparts, while a bit smaller, denser and sweeter thanks to the honey added and are baked in wood-fired oven.

See, North American isn’t just about fast food and deep fried stuffs!

Oh man… I’m hungry now!

12 Comments »

Graham said:

It’s a damned good job that I haven’t got a sweet tooth…lol! I did try the Maple Ice Wine when I was in Toronto a few years ago, and absolutely loved it!!!

Oh Man, I am hungry now too

Graham’s last blog post..What I am listening to at the moment….

# 19 February 2008 at 7:20 pm

Max Coutinho said:

Hey Zhu,

Oh my God…are you promoting sweets, here? Now my mouth is watering: Bagels…with cheese…Mmmmmmm!
Nanaimo bars sound delicious…I love custard, chocolate mmmmm…..
Maple syrup is the thing I miss the most (since I left Canada)! I love it on waffles and pancakes Mmmmm…

Oh my…I can’t be thinking of food right now, I must not put on weight this year…I got a marriage to attend to: and I am the leading star LOL LOL!

This was a yummy post, mon amie !

Cheers

Max Coutinho’s last blog post..Today’s Youth

# 13 February 2008 at 2:09 pm

Zhu (author) said:

@Theresa – Sorry I made you hungry! Yep, food is good here…

@Ghosty – Same in France, but I would have thought maple syrup can be find easily in the US. Maybe we should start an import/ export company??

@Spyder – Oh, how could I forget the sugar pie! Do you miss them in Kansas?

@Madame M – We have some good things up there, not just snow!

@DianeCA – You’re very welcome! We are all addicted to some cultural products — I drive downtown Ottawa every week end to get some cheese from the Lebanese shops, the only ones to import French “gold”!

@Linguist-in-Waiting – I’d have to taste this “maple tempura”! They don’t have it here in Japanese restaurants I know, the cans DO look like paint!