Every country has its signature dish and culinary specialties. As a relatively young country, Canada borrows many dishes from other cultures and has incorporated culinary diversity into its menus. But there are some foods that originated here in the snowy north. You may have heard of some of them and, with their strange names, may have been left wondering: “What is this?”. We will walk you through the top 5 Canadian Comfort Food and (hopefully) make you want to try some.

BeaverTails

OK, let’s address this right away: BeaverTails are not made out of beavers’ tails.

What are they?

BeaverTails are deep-fried dough pastries stretched to look like a beaver’s tail. They’re topped with sweet or savoury ingredients, but the traditional BeaverTail is covered in cinnamon and sugar. BeaverTails have many sources of inspiration including bannock, a traditional bread that originated from the Indigenous peoples of North America and Küchle, a Bavarian pastry.

What makes them taste so good?

BeaverTails are served piping hot and are crispy and chewy all at the same time. Again, for some reason, they taste even better when served outdoors in the winter.

Tell me more about BeaverTails!

BeaverTails founders Pam and Grant Hooker started serving BeaverTails in 1978 at the Killaloe Fair, west of Ottawa, Ontario. They became a fixture in Ottawa, opening up locations in the Byward Market and on the Rideau Canal. Skating on the canal just doesn’t feel complete without having a BeaverTail after.

Image of BeaverTails restaurant lit up at night. — Credit: Peter Reichert