Canada

Food Culture:  Canada is indeed a melting pot of culture and food, so much so that it is often accused of being a culture without an identity. Truth be known, however, Canada has absorbed the best of the world’s food and fused it into some of the world’s most diverse cuisine.

Canada is known for food production more than a style of cooking. The seafood is said to be the highest quality in the world; cheese produced in several provinces is popular throughout the continent; poultry, including pheasants, quail, and partridges, also makes highly prized meals; buffalo is beginning to see a rise in popularity due to its fine, lean texture; and of course, Ontario’s ice wine regularly wins European wine contests.

While it does not have a cuisine in the traditional sense, Canadians use the resources of the land, including many animal species and the stable of fruits and vegetables which can handle the climate. For example, in the north, goose meat in a fruit sauce is a popular choice, and salmon and lobster are popular along the coasts. However, you’re as likely to find fine examples of any of the world’s cuisine in a Canadian household as you are a traditional Canadian specialty—if one could be defined. Taste the Culture of Canada!

The second largest country in area after Russia, Canada has coastlines on the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans, giving it the longest coastline of any country. In area, Canada is slightly larger than the United States, but has only 11 percent as many people. It is one of the least densely inhabited and most prosperous countries. A vast region of swamps, lakes, and ancient rock, known as the Canadian Shield, radiates out from Hudson Bay to cover half of the country; it is agriculturally poor with few people but rich in mineral deposits and forests. The shield stretches from the Arctic to the Great Lakes and Labrador, cutting the country in half and contributing to a division between easterners and westerners. The Canadian Shield and rugged western mountains experience subarctic climates, resulting in a near empty north—an estimated 75 percent of Canadians live within 161 kilometers (100 miles) of the U.S. border. France pioneered settlement, but Britain gained control in 1763. In 1867 the British North America Act united English-speaking Upper Canada (Ontario) and French-speaking Lower Canada (Quebec) with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in a self-governing confederation—with independence in 1931.

Canada is a multicultural society dependent on immigration for growth. Some 28 percent are of British descent, 23 percent claim French descent (concentrated in Quebec), 2 percent are aboriginal peoples—other minorities include Italians, Germans, Ukrainians, and Chinese. Canada’s population is highly urbanized, with most people living in four areas: southern Ontario, Montréal region, Vancouver city and southern Vancouver Island, and the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. The urban economy has a large manufacturing base, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has brought an economic boom—about 80 percent of Canada’s trade is with the U.S.