It’s the kind of question that can cause lots of hand wringing in the food world.
What is Canadian cuisine?
A new course offered by the Canadian Food and Wine Institute has an answer. In fact, it has many answers that will be covered in Canadian Regional Cuisine, the newest addition to the culinary management curriculum that looks at our country’s different agricultural regions and the foods synonymous with each.
Mention the Maritimes, for example, and there’s a good chance lobster will come to mind. Quebec might conjure poutine, and Alberta could make you think of beef.
In addition to looking at what different regions bring to the table, this hands-on course developed by chef professor Peter Blakeman, CFWI associate dean Gary Torraville and dean Craig Youdale, examines the history of regional ingredients, traditional dishes in which they’ve been used and how colonialism has altered them.
“When you say ‘Italian food’ to someone, they immediately sound off things like pizza, pasta, risotto, polenta, prosciutto, etc., not realizing that all these things are specific to regions and are not available throughout the country,” Youdale said. “When we then ask the question, ‘what is Canadian food’ we also tend to lump the country together but we, too, are regional and each part of Canada has a distinctive style just like Italy.
“Each part of Canada is a blend of Indigenous agricultural products and the immigrant influence on the use of those products.”
The goal of Canadian Regional Cuisines is to instil students with context and respect for ingredients before they use them in contemporary dishes in their own careers, Blakeman explained.
“When you look at Canadian cuisine, it’s maple syrup, Arctic char and whatever we grow, and the social influences that change it,” he said. “You need to go and see what the truth is before you think you’re an expert and then you can adapt those ingredients because you have that historical context. You don’t have to adhere to it but we should respect that historical root and we don’t often think about it.”
Indigenous foods and their significance make up a large part of Canadian Regional Cuisine course content. Including them was a personal mission for Blakeman, whose family hails from Northern Ontario, and where he worked in kitchens and learned about indigenous culture from local elders.
Blakeman tapped into the knowledge of local Indigenous communities when creating and authenticating content for Canadian Regional Cuisine, including turning to the College’s Indigenous Centre for help.
It was a challenge, he noted, because some of the history and context surrounding Indigenous ingredients have been lost. They’re also expensive to procure.
Still, students will use as many as they can in their labs because accuracy is an essential ingredient for a course that tackles a question that continues to befuddle many.
“It is more of a challenge now to find indigenous people connected to that history,” Blakeman said. “But we’re getting there. The more we do it and the more other people do it, we will foster that identity.”
Canadian Regional Cuisine is scheduled to start in January.
