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CANADIAN FOOD ICONS (p. 2 of 4)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Nov '04

EAGER BEAVERS

In 17th-century New France, when the natives taught the colonists that a certain rodent plentiful in the area was edible, the clergy in Paris, after studying the creature closely, pronounced it to be a fish. (And that’s how the pious habitants came to eat beaver on abstinence days.) But for most Canadians today, mentioning the caudal appendage of Castor canadensis evokes visions of delectable fried whole-wheat dough.

BeaverTails, the brainchild of one Grant Hooker, were first spotted in 1978 at Ottawa’s storied ByWard Market. Now, thanks to Hooker’s family business, their territory ranges from Whistler, B.C., to Walt Disney World in Florida to Costa Rica. The BeaverTail is remarkably adaptable, displaying a wide range of toppings that includes apple and cinammon, cheese and chives and even mango chutney (in the Philippines). It seems that nothing can dam the growth of these popular pastries.

Text: BENOÎT BRIÈRE

GRAVY TRAIN

In 1957, Fernand Lachance got messy. While running his restaurant in Warwick, Que., he indulged a customer’s request to add cheese curds to his fries. Lachance (who died last February at age 86) called it “poutine,” Acadian slang for mess. The disgustingly delicious concoction quickly graduated onto the menu for a mere 35 cents, eventually with gravy added to the recipe. The price and cholesterol levels have risen with its popularity, and the junk-food staple now turns up regularly at gourmet restaurants like Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar in Toronto (with lamb jus and merguez) and Montreal’s Au Pied de Cochon (with pork gravy and foie gras). So what if poutine is a very guilty pleasure? In Quebec, where such habits as smoking, drinking and general debauchery are embraced with a certain joie de vivre, this mighty mess will always be made.

Text: CHANTAL TRANCHEMONTAGNE

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Nov '04