Regional
While many ingredients are commonly found throughout Canada, each region with its own history and local population has unique ingredients, which are used to define unique dishes.
| Ingredient | Defining Dish | Pacific | Mountain | The Prairies | Ontario | Quebec | Atlantic | Northern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou | Caribou stew | X | X | X | X | |||
| Saskatoon berries | Saskatoon berry jam | X | X | |||||
| Fiddlehead ferns | Boiled fiddleheads | X | X | X | ||||
| Cloudberry | Bakeapple Pie | X | X | |||||
| Maple syrup | Everything | X | X | X | ||||
| Dulse | Dulse chips | X | ||||||
| Harp seal | Flipper pie | X | X | |||||
| Sockeye Salmon | Smoked Salmon | X | ||||||
| West Coast Salmon | Cedar-Plank Salmon | X | ||||||
| Atlantic Cod | Fish and brewis | X | X | |||||
| Winnipeg goldeye | Smoked goldeye | X |
Wild game of all sorts is still hunted and eaten by many Canadians, though not commonly in urban centres. Venison, from white-tailed deer, moose, elk (wapiti) or caribou, is eaten across the country and is considered quite important to many First Nations cultures. Seal meat is eaten, particularly in the Canadian North, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Wild fowl like ducks and geese, grouse (commonly called partridge) and ptarmigan are also regularly hunted. Other animals like bear and beaver may be eaten by dedicated hunters or indigenous people, but are not generally consumed by much of the population.
West coast salmon varieties include Sockeye, Coho, Tyee a.k.a. Chinook or King, and Pink.
Wild Chanterelle, Pine, Morel, Lobster, Puffball, and other mushrooms are commonly consumed. Canada produces good cheeses, many successful beers and is known for its excellent ice wines and ice ciders. Gooseberries, Salmonberries, Pearberries, Cranberries and Strawberries and gathered from wild or grown.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Cuisine