enRoute


	ENROUTE TV ENROUTE FM MEDIA KIT AIR CANADA LINKS WRITERS' GUIDELINES

CANADIAN FOOD ICONS

8 Food Firsts That Make This Country Taste Great

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Nov '04

NIP, TUCK

The Nip is a hamburger with a pre-fast-food vibe. Best eaten at 3 a.m. in a cozy booth, the old-fashioned burger combines beef, cheese, grilled onions and chili, melting with greasy abandon in a soft homemade bun. Ralph Erwin, who founded the Salisbury House chain in 1931, gave the Nip its name because he disliked the word hamburger. Go figure.

Since Erwin’s time, there have been several fancy additions to the menu: Veggie Nips, Breakfast Nips and Lil’ Nippers dished out in bite-size pairs. But the original Winnipeg staple, available at any of the 21 red-roofed restaurants around the city, is still the Nip of choice. Winnipegger Leonard Asper has reportedly smuggled Nips to Toronto in his briefcase, while Guess Who front man and native son Burton Cummings likes them so much, he’s a Salisbury House investor. And that’s just the tip of the Nip – there are plans to introduce the restaurant into Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Text: ALISON GILLMOR

PRAISING THE BAR

Mayan elites indulged in it more than 2,000 years ago. The French deemed it a king’s luxury in the 17th century. But Canadians also added a sweet milestone to chocolate’s history – the invention of the chocolate bar in 1910 in St. Stephen, N.B.

While working at Canada’s largest candy factory, Ganong Bros. Ltd., Arthur Ganong (who nurtured a half-a-kilo-a-day chocolate habit) and factory superintendent George Ensor invented the bar. Their inspiration didn’t come from a love of chocolate but from fishing. Bringing nuggets of chocolate on their regular fishing trips made for sticky fingers and slimy pockets, so they devised a plan to make rectangular single-serving portions. The new idea was a hit, and Ganong started producing the moulded chocolate and peanut bar, wrapped in cellophane. It was christened the Five-Cent Chocolate Nut Bar (later known as Pal-o-Mine). Chocolate lovers took the bait and have been hooked ever since.

Text: KIRSTY SPENCE

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Nov '04