It was great to talk to Jason Kirby this morning, the senior editor of Maclean's magazine on their book of lists. I thought I might share a couple, the first being foods Canada has given the world:

1. Butter tarts: It’s true! Butter tarts are Canadian
through and through. In fact, these crumbly, almost
shortbread-like pastry shells—oozing with butter,
sugar, syrup and eggs—date back to the early 1600s,
when they provided sweet sustenance for our pioneers.
There’s a great deal of variation today—some
bakers add raisins, others pecans—but it’s safe to say
they’d all satisfy the most discerning sweet tooth.
2. BeaverTails: Even Barack Obama stopped for one
when he visited our nation’s capital in 2009. The
Ottawa-based company that came up with the idea of
hand stretching pastry shaped like beaver tails, then
frying it and topping it with sweet confections like
whipped cream and berries, has been dishing out
their treats since 1980.
3. Nanaimo bars: It’s no wonder these saccharine
bars consisting of a chocolate top layer and a
wafer-crumb base, which perfectly sandwiches a custardflavoured
centre, have fairly contested origins.
But since the late 1950s, Nanaimo bars have become
staples at every bake sale, not only in British Columbia
but across the country.
4. Fish and brewis: The Italians can keep their baccalà,
and the Portuguese can have their bacalhau. We
prefer our salt cod to be served along hard tack (hard
bread, soaked overnight in water) and scrunchions
(fried bits of salted pork fat), thank you very much.
The traditional Newfoundland dish, which was
probably created by sailors who needed good sustenance
out at sea, differs from door to door, but it’s
always certain to fill you up.
5. Figgy duff: There are many variations of this
Newfoundland boiled pudding, but most contain
flour, butter, sugar, molasses and raisin
6. Canadian bacon: We call it peameal bacon but the
rest of the world lovingly refers to it as Canadian.
And here’s the thing: it’s just lean, boneless pork loin
that’s been brined and rolled in finely ground
cornmeal (years ago, it would have been peameal).
7. Tourtière: This traditional Québécois doublecrusted
meat pie may be traditionally served at
Christmas, but there’s a good chance French
Canadians eat it all year long. While they can be
packed with a combination of pork, veal and beef,
in Montreal tourtière is usually made with only
pork—finely ground—and seasoned with cinnamon
and cloves, and served with ketchup. Comfort
food personified.
8. Saskatoon berry pie: Many a Prairie native has
childhood memories of filling pails with these sweet,
fleshy-fruited berries to fill double-crusted golden
pies. And even though the shrubs that bear them are
grown from western Ontario to British Columbia and
the Yukon, they’re especially dear to the people who
live in the city that shares the berry’s name.
9. McCain’s french fries: We may not have invented
the humble french fry, but Canadian-owned and
operated McCain’s has been making frites for more
than 50 years. At last count the company, the world’s
largest producer of french fries, was dishing out
more than 20 products.
10. Maple syrup: Not only has one of our most
beloved chefs, Montreal’s Martin Picard, dedicated a
386-page cookbook to the boiled-down sap—first
collected by Aboriginal peoples of North America—
but our nation produces a whopping 85 per cent of
the world’s supply.
11. Split pea soup: The Oxford Companion to Food
says this Québécois, rib-sticking delight with a base
of dried yellow split peas and a ham bone, or smoked
ham hock, is probably our best-known food export.
Sources: Oxford Dictionary of Food, Canadian Oxford Dictionary,
food and company websites

Jason Kenney on his 10 favourite
ethnic dishes/restaurants
Immigration Minister Jason
Kenney’s ethnic outreach strategy
for the Conservatives takes him
to countless restaurants across
the country, making him an expert
on some of the best international
dishes, and where to get
them in Canada. They don’t call him
“minister for curry in a hurry”
for nothing.
1. Khyber Pass, Montreal (Afghan): eggplant borani
2. Lahore Tikka House, Toronto (Pakistani): Lahori
lamb kebab (washed down with salted lassi)
3. La Sirène de la mer, Montreal (Lebanese):
Akhtaboot Machawi (grilled octopus) with
fattouche and tabbouleh (salads)
4. Rendezvous Ethiopian Restaurant,
Toronto (Ethiopian): kitfo dulet
5. Tandoor et Grille, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.
(Indian and Pakistani): Anarkali chicken
6. Crown Princess Fine Dining, Toronto (Chinese):
shumai dim sum
7. Shomal Restaurant, Toronto (Persian):
Mirza Ghasemi
8. Green Lemongrass, Vancouver (Vietnamese):
goi du du (green papaya salad)
9. House of Dosas, Vancouver (Indian):
palak paneer aloo dosa
10. James Joyce Irish Pub, Calgary (Irish):
best pint of Guinness in Canada (a highly
nutritious staple of the Irish diet)

Cities with most fast-food restaurants
City No. of restaurants
per 10,000 population
1. Canmore, Alta. 17.9
2. Tillsonburg, Ont. 17
3. Pembroke, Ont. 15
4. Camrose, Alta. 14.5
5. Swift Current, Sask. 14.3
6. Summerside, P.E.I. 13.9
7. Dawson Creek, B.C. 13.8
8. Squamish, B.C. 13.7
9. Cobourg, Ont. 13.5
10. Orillia, Ont. 13.3
Note: Includes takeout, cafeterias and bars
Source: Statistics Canada’s Canadian Business Patterns