Canadian Food: 25 Iconic Dishes by Province

Canadian food is regional first. Each province's classics come from its geography, its Indigenous nations and the people who settled there. Here are 25 iconic dishes by region, with links to our home-tested recipes.

Across Canada

• Bannock — a quick pan bread made in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities coast to coast. [Bannock recipe](/recipes/bannock)
• Butter tarts — gooey brown-sugar tarts, claimed by Ontario but loved everywhere. [Butter tarts recipe](/recipes/butter-tarts)
• Date squares — oat crumble with date filling, called matrimonial cake in the West. [Date squares recipe](/recipes/date-squares)
• The Caesar — Canada's national cocktail, invented in Calgary in 1969. [Caesar recipe](/recipes/classic-caesar-cocktail)
• Maple syrup — most of the world's supply comes from Canada. [Maple syrup recipes](/maple-recipes)

Québec

• Poutine — fries, fresh cheese curds and gravy. [Poutine recipe](/recipes/classic-poutine)
• Tourtière — spiced pork pie for the réveillon. [Tourtière recipe](/recipes/tourtiere)
• Pea soup — whole yellow peas and ham. [Québec pea soup](/recipes/habitant-split-pea-soup)
• Pouding chômeur — cake baked over maple syrup. [Pouding chômeur recipe](/recipes/pouding-chomeur)
• Tarte au sucre — brown sugar and cream pie. [Sugar pie recipe](/recipes/tarte-au-sucre)
• Montreal smoked meat — peppery cured brisket on rye. [Smoked meat recipe](/recipes/montreal-smoked-meat)
• Maple syrup pie — the sugar shack dessert. [Maple syrup pie](/recipes/maple-syrup-pie)

Ontario

• Peameal bacon sandwich — Toronto's cornmeal-crusted back bacon on a bun. [Peameal bacon](/recipes/peameal-bacon-sandwich)
• Fried dough 'beaver tails' — cinnamon sugar and lemon on the skating rink. [Beaver tails recipe](/recipes/beaver-tails-pastry)

Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)

• Perogies — Ukrainian-Canadian dumplings with bacon and onion. [Perogies recipe](/recipes/prairie-perogies)
• Saskatoon berry pie — made with the region's native berry. [Saskatoon berry pie](/recipes/classic-canadian-saskatoon-berry-pie)
• Saskatoon berry crisp — the easier weeknight version. [Saskatoon berry crisp](/recipes/saskatoon-berry-crisp)
• Alberta beef — slow-braised and roasted. [Slow cooker beef stew](/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-stew)

British Columbia

• Nanaimo bars — three-layer no-bake squares from Vancouver Island. [Nanaimo bars recipe](/recipes/nanaimo-bars)
• Pacific salmon — cedar-planked, maple-glazed or smoked. [Maple-glazed salmon](/recipes/maple-glazed-salmon)

Atlantic Canada

• Halifax donair — spiced beef with a sweet garlic sauce, Nova Scotia's official food. [Halifax donair recipe](/recipes/halifax-donair)
• Lobster rolls and chowder — from the Maritime coast.
• Jiggs dinner — Newfoundland's salt beef boiled dinner.
• Rappie pie — the Acadian grated-potato casserole.

The North

• Arctic char and bannock — staples of Inuit and northern cooking, best learned from community sources.

Want to cook by region? Browse [Québec recipes](/quebec), [Canadian classics](/canadian-classics) or [all Canadian recipes](/canadian).