Food of Canada

Canadian cooking blends Indigenous traditions, British and French heritage, and food from newcomers around the world. Maple syrup, wild salmon, wheat, potatoes and dairy are common, with Quebec known for hearty comfort food and the coasts for seafood. Meals feature warming dishes for cold winters and treats shared at bake sales and gatherings.

Poutine
National dish

Poutine

Fries with cheese curds and gravy.

How to make Poutine

Staples

  • wheat
  • potatoes
  • maple syrup
  • salmon
  • beef
  • dairy
  • berries
  • pork

Signature flavors

  • maple
  • dill
  • butter
  • cranberry
  • mustard
  • brown sugar

Main dishes

Tourtiere
Tourtiere

A spiced meat pie from Quebec.

Key ingredients: ground pork, onion, spices, pie crust
Montreal smoked meat
Montreal smoked meat

Cured, spiced beef brisket sliced thin on rye.

Key ingredients: brisket, pepper, coriander, rye bread
Pea soup and ham

A hearty yellow pea dish.

Key ingredients: split peas, ham, onion
Bannock

A pan-fried or baked bread shared by Indigenous peoples.

Key ingredients: flour, baking powder, fat
Cedar-plank salmon

Pacific salmon grilled on cedar.

Key ingredients: salmon, cedar plank, maple
Pâté chinois
Pâté chinois

Layers of beef, corn and mashed potatoes.

Key ingredients: ground beef, corn, potatoes
Fish and chips
Fish and chips

Battered fish with fries, a coastal classic.

Key ingredients: cod, potatoes, batterFull guide →
Chicken and dumplings
Chicken and dumplings

A homey stew with fluffy dumplings.

Key ingredients: chicken, flour, vegetables
Fiddleheads
Fiddleheads

Spring fern shoots sauteed in butter.

Key ingredients: fiddleheads, butter, garlic
Baked beans with maple
Baked beans with maple

Slow-baked beans sweetened with maple syrup.

Key ingredients: navy beans, maple syrup, salt pork

Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup
Pancakes with maple syrup

A Canadian breakfast staple.

Key ingredients: flour, milk, egg, maple syrupFull guide →
Peameal bacon
Peameal bacon

Cornmeal-crusted back bacon, sliced and griddled.

Key ingredients: pork loin, cornmeal
Cretons
Cretons

A Quebec pork spread eaten on toast.

Key ingredients: pork, onion, spices
Oreilles de crisse

Crispy fried pork rinds served with maple syrup.

Key ingredients: pork, maple syrup

Street food

Poutine
Poutine

Fries with cheese curds and gravy.

Key ingredients: fries, cheese curds, gravyFull guide →
Beavertails

Flat fried dough with sweet toppings.

Key ingredients: dough, cinnamon sugar, Nutella
Montreal bagel
Montreal bagel

A sweeter, wood-fired bagel.

Key ingredients: flour, honey, sesame
Hot dog steamie

Steamed hot dogs from Quebec.

Key ingredients: hot dog, bun, cabbage
Donair
Donair

Spiced beef in pita with sweet garlic sauce, a Halifax classic.

Key ingredients: beef, pita, sauce

Soups

Seafood chowder

Creamy Atlantic soup with fish and shellfish.

Key ingredients: haddock, scallops, potatoes, cream
Split pea soup
Split pea soup

Thick Quebec pea soup with ham.

Key ingredients: yellow peas, ham, carrots
Cheddar soup

A rich, creamy Canadian cheddar soup.

Key ingredients: cheddar, milk, onion

Salads

Maple-dressed greens

Mixed greens with maple vinaigrette.

Key ingredients: greens, maple syrup, oil
Coleslaw
Coleslaw

Crunchy cabbage salad.

Key ingredients: cabbage, carrot, mayonnaise
Waldorf salad
Waldorf salad

Apple, celery and walnut salad.

Key ingredients: apples, celery, walnutsFull guide →

Desserts and sweets

Butter tart
Butter tart

A small tart with a gooey butter-sugar filling.

Key ingredients: butter, brown sugar, eggsFull guide →
Nanaimo bar
Nanaimo bar

A no-bake layered chocolate-custard bar.

Key ingredients: chocolate, coconut, custardFull guide →
Maple taffy
Maple taffy

Hot maple syrup poured on snow.

Key ingredients: maple syrup
Sugar pie
Sugar pie

A Quebec custard pie of cream and brown sugar.

Key ingredients: cream, brown sugar
Saskatoon berry pie
Saskatoon berry pie

Prairie berries baked in pastry.

Key ingredients: saskatoon berries, sugar
Date squares
Date squares

Oat-crumb bars with a sweet date filling.

Key ingredients: dates, oats, brown sugar
Pouding chomeur
Pouding chomeur

Cake baked in maple syrup sauce.

Key ingredients: flour, maple syrup, cream
Tarte au sucre

A quebecois sugar tart.

Key ingredients: sugar, cream, flour
Apple crisp
Apple crisp

Warm apples under a crumb topping.

Key ingredients: apples, oats, butter

Drinks

Maple water

Lightly sweet sap drink.

Key ingredients: maple sap
Hot chocolate with maple

Cocoa sweetened with maple.

Key ingredients: cocoa, milk, maple syrup
Double-double coffee
Double-double coffee

A Canadian coffee with two creams and two sugars.

Key ingredients: coffee, cream, sugar
Cranberry juice
Cranberry juice

Tart juice from Canadian cranberries.

Key ingredients: cranberries
Apple cider
Apple cider

Fresh pressed apple juice, non-alcoholic.

Key ingredients: apples

Fruits and produce

Blueberries
Blueberries

Wild lowbush berries from Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Saskatoon berries
Saskatoon berries

Sweet prairie berries.

Apples
Apples

Grown in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley.

Cranberries
Cranberries

Harvested from bogs in Quebec and British Columbia.

Cherries
Cherries

Okanagan Valley cherries.

Maple syrup
Maple syrup

Boiled-down sap, Canada's signature sweetener.

Dish guides from Canada

Butter tart
Butter tartDesserts and sweets
Fish and chips
Fish and chipsStreet food
Nanaimo bar
Nanaimo barDesserts and sweets
Pancakes
PancakesBreakfast
Poutine
PoutineStreet food
Waldorf salad
Waldorf saladSalads
Explore Canada on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of North America

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Tourtiere Fin: Dominic Genest, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Schwartz smoked meat montreal: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Paté chinois: Marie-Jean42, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fish and chips blackpool: Matthias Meckel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mmm... chicken dumplings (7867591472): jeffreyw, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fiddlehead closeup: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Baked beans in tomato sauce: Mk2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Foodiesfeed.com pouring-honey-on-pancakes-with-walnuts: Mae Mu, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Flickr bokchoi-snowpea 4266923676--Roast peameal bacon: snowpea&bokchoi, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Creton du Porc: snowpea&bokchoi, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Food at WIkimanian 2017 02: Camelia.boban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Bagels-Montreal-REAL: Garyperlman at English Wikipedia, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Donair and Poutine (43774635500): Paulo O from Halifax, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Hernekeitto: User:Opalaisen, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 2015-12-20 Spitzkohlsalat mit Möhren anagoria: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Waldorfsalat: Nillerdk, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • ButtertartS1360020: Alex Lozupone, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Nanaimo bar: Stephanie Spencer, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Maple toffee: The original uploader was SimonP at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tarte au sucre: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Amelanchier alnifolia var. semiintegrifolia 4: Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Date Squares: Marchije, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pouding Chômeur: TomMimo, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fresh baked apple crisp 01: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tim Hortons, Kingsville, Ontario, 2025-06-29: Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cranberry juice in a cup: Lisa Pinehill, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cider and apple juice: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Blueberries: The original Uploader was Oven Fresh at English Wikipedia, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 95apple: Agricultural Research Service (Research agent of United States Department of Agriculture), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cranberry bog: Photo by Keith Weller, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cherry season (48216568227): spurekar, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Maple syrup: User:Miguel Andrade, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)