Whether you’re sipping cocktails poolside, making up for lost time on a patio, or doing nothing at all, the long weekend is a time to let yourself live a little and give in to certain cravings. As we take soon take full advantage of the Canadian summer that’s around the corner in all of its sunny – but fleeting – glory, we may as well snack straight from the source.
Here are 14 (nostalgic) foods you can only get or originally from Canada:
Screaming with nostalgia.
BeaverTails
BeaverTails and Canadian amusement parks and/or food trucks are pretty much synonymous. Completely worth the calorie-filled indulgence, the fried dough pastries are individually hand stretched to resemble beaver’s tails and topped with either sweet or savoury ingredients.
Bagged Milk
While it may be a staple in your fridge, bagged milk isn’t as common of a thing outside of Canada. In fact, it the whole concept may sound strange or borderline gross to some. In fairness, it makes for needless work (finding a milk pitcher, scissors, etc.) when milk housed in cartons tastes as good. But, tradition…
Peameal Bacon
Few things compare to a steaming peameal bacon sandwich on a Sunday morning (especially after a few cocktails the night before). Peameal bacon – also known as back bacon – is a wet-cured, unsmoked back bacon made from trimmed lean boneless pork loin rolled in cornmeal. The highly addictive bacon is found mainly in southern Ontario.
Jos Louis
The long-time coveted lunchbox staple Jos Louis is made and joyously consumed in Canada. The individually wrapped, hockey puck-sized pastries consist of two chocolate cake rounds with a cream filling within a milk chocolate shell.
Montreal Bagels
While others may compete, there’s nothing quite like a Montreal bagel. The homemade, woodfired bagels are perfectly sticky and slightly sweet, making them as delicious on their own as when topped with all the fixings – like Ontario cream cheese or Nova Scotia smoked salmon.
Buttertart
A long-time post-family dinner sweet treat, buttertarts are quintessential to Canada. The small tart consists of a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, all baked in a pastry shell until the filling is semi-solid with a crunchy top. As a rule of thumb, the best buttertarts are found at countryside food stands or quaint general stores.
Caesars (not a Bloody Mary)
While they may have tomato juice-based Bloody Marys south of the border, they don’t have Bloody Caesars. That’s because the star ingredient of the beloved breakfast cocktail, clam juice, is not as available or widely enjoyed outside of Canada. So, tomato juice will have to do.
Poutine
The dreamy goodness that is a warm and gooey poutine is known as one of Canada’s national dishes. Consisting of French fries and cheese curds topped with gravy, the comforting snack emerged in Quebec in the 1950s, before making its way throughout the country as staple ever since – whether enjoyed in a diner or outside a food truck.
Kinder Surprise
Kinder Surprise, the simple gift that scores major aunt or uncle points, is not widely available outside of Canada – making it even more special. A quick crowd-pleaser among kids, a Kinder Surprise is a chocolate egg with a small assemble-yourself toy inside of it (what more could you want?).
Ketchup Chips
Like bagged milk, the concept of ketchup-flavoured chips may be a tough one for some to grasp. That’s because they’re not widely heard of outside of Canada. But they definitely have their fans, who are undoubtedly glad they can grab a bag (or two) any time at their local Canadian convenience store.
Kraft Dinner
While it may come as a shock to some, good, old-fashioned Kraft Dinner – or “KD” – is not widely available outside of Canada. Sure, they have boxes of Kraft-branded macaroni and cheese on grocery store shelves, but nothing like KD (it’s literally made with different ingredients) – a shameless guilty pleasure to countless Canadians. Now also available in Vegan.
Swiss Chalet
With its sweet BBQ sauce and beloved “Chalet Sauce,” there’s something distinctively – and deliciously – its own about Swiss Chalet’s famous rotisserie chicken. Only available in Canada, the comforting grub is the type you can’t deny once the craving hits.
Hickory Sticks
Because we apparently love to have options on the potato chip front, Canadians have the choice of thinly cut potato sticks, thanks to Hickory Sticks, the salty and seasoned snack only available in Canada.
Caramilk
While Canadians grew up wondering how they got the caramel inside the Caramilk bar, our friends south of the border remained blissfully unaware that a chocolate bar could be so complex – the gooey chocolate bar is only available in Canada.
