Canada is the world's second-largest country, and has a deliciously diverse food scene to match its sprawling landscape. With different climates and distinct traditions in every corner, there’s so much to eat and explore. Here, we’ve ranked the Canadian foods that have won fans around the globe – from classics like maple syrup and poutine to surprising inventions like California rolls and peanut butter.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the Canadian foods the rest of the world adores, counting down to the most popular of all.
We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each food in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Quebec is famous for its artisanal cheese, most of which is not available outside of the province; however, Oka brand cheese (based in Oka, Quebec) has become a household product across Canada. The cows' milk cheese’s history stretches back to the late 1800s, when a French monk settled in Quebec. Oka’s core product remains a favourite because of its creamy semi-firm texture and mild taste.
Another delicacy from the province of Quebec, split pea soup has been a mainstay of the hearty Canadian diet for around 400 years. Dried split peas are the primary ingredient, but vegetarians should be warned that ham hock is another essential element of an authentic split pea soup. When made properly, the soup should be more than enough for a meal on its own, especially if it’s served with a hunk of crusty bread.
Chinese food has a long history in Western Canada – early Chinese immigrants were not permitted to enter most professions in Canada, leading many to open restaurants, tweaking Chinese recipes to better appeal to Western tastes. The sweet and sticky deep-fried strips of breaded meat known as ginger beef are part of this phenomenon. Developed at the Silver Inn in Calgary in the 1970s, the dish still appears on most Chinese menus in southern Alberta.
Saskatoons are small purple berries that pack plenty of sweet, nutty flavour. Native to North America, the name of the berry isn’t capitalised because the berry isn’t named after the city of Saskatoon. Rather, it comes from a Cree word that means 'the fruit of the tree of many branches'. Saskatoons are used in everything from salad dressings to ice cream, but they’re most commonly found baked into a flaky double crust pie.
One of Canada’s most enduring casual restaurant chains, Swiss Chalet opened its first location in Toronto in 1954. While the restaurant’s speciality is rotisserie chicken, it’s most famous for the 'chalet sauce' served alongside its chicken and French fries. It's not quite barbecue sauce or gravy, and Canadians tend to either love or hate the tangy herbal flavour; those who do love it often flock to Swiss Chalet at Thanksgiving or Christmas to enjoy the restaurant's holiday specials.
Instant mashed potatoes aren’t exactly embraced by most food lovers, but these boxes of flaked potatoes can be very handy to those with limited cooking skills or equipment. Chemist Edward Asslbergs invented dehydrated potato flakes while working for the Canadian Department of Agriculture in the early 1960s. While most of us wouldn’t choose instant flakes over proper mash, the product remains a stand-by essential for campers and others in need of a convenient starchy side.
Just like Scotch, Irish whiskey or bourbon, Canadian whisky has its own distinctive flavour. The Canadian whisky industry blossomed during American Prohibition, resulting in a product that’s usually made with a grain blend including at least some percentage of rye. Brands like Canadian Club, Crown Royal and Alberta Premium are known for producing whisky with a light character and notes of toffee, cinnamon and toast.
There’s no consensus on when or where flapper pie originated, but it’s been a Canadian prairie classic for generations – likely due to the steady availability of its ingredients, even in the dead of winter. This is a very simple pie, consisting of an egg-rich vanilla custard and a Graham cracker crust topped with either meringue or whipped cream. Flapper pie isn't as popular with home cooks as it once was, but it's still served in a smattering of diners across the prairie provinces.
With the exception of seafood, no consumable product has a greater connection with Newfoundland than Screech rum. Rum has a long tradition in the province: local fishermen would ship salt fish down to Jamaica, and the boats would come back full of Jamaican rum. The spirit in Screech still comes from Jamaica, but is now bottled and blended in Newfoundland. It’s become famous through the tradition of 'Screeching in' newcomers to the island, which involves gulping a shot of Screech before kissing a cod.
Icewine isn’t a Canadian invention (it’s been produced in Germany for some time), but given Canada’s cold climate, it’s a perfect fit. The wine is made by letting grapes freeze on the vine, allowing the sugars to concentrate – resulting in a very sweet dessert wine that’s best enjoyed like a liqueur. The Canadian icewine industry started in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, but Ontario’s Niagara region tends to get colder weather and has since become the largest icewine producer in the world.
The origin of ketchup-flavoured crisps is somewhat disputed, but the most common story is that they were first developed by the Canadian brand Hostess (which has since been acquired by Lay's) in the 1970s. Today, most Canadian snack brands produce a ketchup-flavoured crisp – and while some brands in the United States and elsewhere do too, the flavour is nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is in Canada. Tangy and tomatoey, the bright red crisps famously leave a telltale red stain on your fingers.
Drive through the Canadian prairies and you’ll see field upon field of yellow canola flowers, all grown for canola oil production. Canola was developed by Canadian scientists after the Second World War as a more food-appropriate variation of rapeseed – the 'can' in the name actually refers to it being a Canadian invention. Canola oil is now a staple in kitchens all over the world and is prized for its healthy fats and versatility.
Perhaps the most iconic dish in traditional Quebecois cuisine, tourtière is a rustic double-crust meat pie that's typically enjoyed at Christmas. Every family seems to have its own recipe, but a classic tourtière consists of a flaky pastry crust filled with spiced ground pork or beef (sometimes both), with the possible addition of potatoes. The filling should be solid enough that the slices stand tall – a good tourtière should not collapse on the plate.
Canada Dry Ginger Ale came by its brand name honestly – the soft drink was indeed invented by a Canadian. Toronto-based pharmacist and entrepreneur John McLaughlin spent the latter part of the 1890s and early 1900s perfecting his formula, patenting Canada Dry Ginger Ale in 1907. A cross between a spicier ginger beer and a flavourless club soda, ginger ale became particularly popular during American Prohibition, as its flavour masked the harsh taste of illegally made alcohol.
Bannock is a fry bread that's most commonly associated with Canada’s indigenous peoples, but it’s widely believed that it wasn’t actually adopted until after European settlers landed. Oat-based bannock is a Scottish tradition, but after Scottish explorers arrived in Canada, indigenous communities began making it with corn flour. Now it’s typically made with wheat flour, and it's often served alongside other indigenous dishes.
Persian rolls are one of Canada’s more niche delicacies, but they’re a local obsession in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where they were invented in the 1940s by baker Art Bennett. Despite the name, these frosted treats have nothing to do with the Middle East – a ‘Persian’ is an oval-shaped pastry that’s fried, then frosted with vibrant pink icing. The pastry itself is a little like a cinnamon bun, but topped with a thick, sweet icing (usually strawberry or raspberry flavoured). You can grab a Persian in bakeries all over Thunder Bay, but locals say Bennett’s Bakery – the treat’s originator – is the place to go.
While lobster rolls are synonymous with New England in the US, the delicacy is also wildly popular on Canada’s Atlantic coast. They’re a quintessential part of the cuisine of Nova Scotia, where you can enjoy a delicious lobster roll in almost every corner of the province. Here, chunks of fresh lobster are dressed with mayonnaise and chopped celery, then stuffed inside a buttered and griddled split-top hotdog bun to make a classic sandwich that's loved all over the world.
These tasty little morsels were introduced to the nation by beloved Canadian coffee chain Tim Horton’s in 1976. The ultimate road-trip snack, Timbits are bite-sized doughnut holes famous for being light and fluffy on the inside, with a slight crunch on the outside. They’re available in 10 classic flavours, including the bestselling Chocolate Glazed and Old Fashioned Plain. These days, Tim Horton’s is arguably one of the country’s most popular food exports – and its doughnut holes are adored across Canada and beyond.
Canada’s signature breakfast certainly gives the full English a run for its money. According to historians, the hefty lumberjack breakfast was first served to hard-working loggers in a Vancouver hotel in around 1870. Served in diners and cafes throughout the country, as well as in the US these days, the meal typically consists of Canadian bacon, sausage, fried eggs, potatoes and pancakes, with plenty of maple syrup on the side. If you’re after a belly-busting feast, it doesn’t get more indulgent than this.
For millions of Canadians, the answer to the question 'How do you like your coffee?' is 'I like it crisp' – a reference to a classic TV ad for the Coffee Crisp candy bar. Even though the treat was originally formulated in the UK as Rowntree's Wafer Crisp, by the 1940s it was known as Coffee Crisp, and had become one of Canada’s favourite snacks. Today the bar is only manufactured in Toronto and, in 2017, Nestle named it 'a local Canadian gem' in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday.
Kraft Foods is not a Canadian company and sells versions of its boxed mac 'n' cheese in countries around the world – but the name and popularity of Kraft Dinner is a uniquely Canadian phenomenon. Kraft Dinner, or 'KD', as most Canadians call it, is a store-cupboard staple in Canada, enjoyed by children, college students and anyone else looking for a cheap and easy meal. The KD sold in Canada is made domestically at a factory in Montreal.
There is perhaps no pizza topping more controversial than pineapple – and we all have a Canadian to thank for that. Sam Panopoulos first put pineapple on a ham pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Ontario in the early 1960s; it eventually caught on elsewhere in Canada, and then around the world. The original Hawaiian pizza used canned pineapple, but these days chefs often use fresh grilled pineapple for a more gourmet version.
There is some dispute over the origins of the California sushi roll, but the most commonly accepted story goes that it was invented by Hidekazu Tojo, a Japanese chef who moved to Vancouver in the 1970s. Realising that most Canadians were not used to the taste and texture of raw fish or seaweed, Hidekazu created a roll with the seaweed on the inside and filled it with crab, avocado and mayonnaise. His invention was such a hit that it’s now a standard offering at sushi restaurants around the world.
New York bagels may be the standard for Americans, but in Canada, Montreal-style bagels are king. A gift from Montreal’s substantial Jewish population, the Montreal bagel is far more than a bun with a hole in the middle. Denser and thinner than a New York bagel, Montreal bagels also have a bigger hole – but the real difference is the dip in boiling honey water that Montreal bagels get before being baked, leaving them with a golden exterior and a notably chewy crust.
A cousin of the Montreal bagel is Montreal smoked meat, a rich and fatty deli meat made with cured beef brisket. A little like a cross between pastrami (which is dry-cured only) and corned beef (which is brined), Montreal smoked meat has its own spice profile, making it different from New York–style deli meats. It’s best enjoyed in a sandwich, preferably on rye bread, with mustard and a side of pickles.
BeaverTails are the large, flat fried pastries that can typically be purchased in Canada’s most high-traffic tourist areas. The company started selling its wholewheat pastry treats at a fair in Ottawa in 1978 – and by the 1990s, it had expanded across Canada. A classic BeaverTail is flavoured with just a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon, but you can also get more opulent toppings like chocolate hazelnut spread, or an apple pie filling.
Peanut butter is a favourite toast topper around the world, but did you know it was originally patented by a Canadian? In 1884, Montreal pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson created a peanut paste candy that could be enjoyed by people who couldn’t chew other treats. Today, peanut butter is a staple of the Canadian diet, although the ubiquity of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a school lunch has faded due to concerns about peanut allergies amongst children.
Little is conclusively known about the origin of the Nanaimo bar, other than that it comes from the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. The unique dessert squares consist of a crumbly chocolate and coconut base, topped with yellow custard and a chocolate layer. Nanaimo bars are available in bakeries across Canada, but they’re best enjoyed on Vancouver Island, where visitors can embark on a self-guided Nanaimo Bar Trail.
If there’s one distinctly Canadian invention that is embraced by people from coast to coast, it’s the butter tart. Recipes for flaky pastry tarts filled with a mixture of butter, sugar, syrup and egg first appeared in the early 1900s, but likely have their roots in French desserts dating back much earlier. While its Canadian nature is not up for debate, many disagree about the inclusion of pecans, raisins or currants.
While seafood is obviously abundant in Canada’s Maritime provinces, there’s another food that is quintessentially East Coast: the donair. The Canadian version of the classic döner kebab was developed in the 1970s by Greek immigrant Peter Gamoulakos, the restaurateur behind Halifax’s King of Donair. Gamoulakos swapped out traditional tzatziki for a sweet sauce, and the wrapped sandwiches quickly became Halifax’s most beloved street food.
Technically, maple syrup was invented by indigenous people long before Canada even existed. The sweet liquid is inextricably linked to the province of Quebec, which is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world, thanks to its huge population of sugar maple trees. In Canada, maple syrup is most often drizzled over pancakes or waffles, but it can also be found in meat marinades, cocktails, baked goods and salad dressings.
What the rest of the world calls 'Canadian bacon' is usually just 'back bacon' in Canada. It’s much like ham in consistency and flavour and is cut from pork loin, unlike streaky bacon (known in Canada simply as 'bacon'), which comes from pork belly. The bacon is often rolled in pea flour or cornmeal, earning the name peameal bacon. Canadian bacon is typically eaten for breakfast or brunch, often as an essential element in eggs Benedict.
If there’s one food that people associate with Canada, it’s the magical concoction known as poutine. The concept is simple: French fries are topped with savoury gravy and squeaky cheese curds that melt slightly under the heat of the sauce. There’s some disagreement about exactly where and when poutine was invented, but it’s been a presence in Quebec since the 1950s and has gradually gained popularity throughout Canada and beyond. These days, poutine is the country’s national dish, with versions served in restaurants all over the world.
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Last updated by Luke Paton.