Freshly steamed Atlantic lobster dripping with melted butter. Two healthy scoops of potato salad on the side, with homemade rolls right out of the oven, followed by a slice of grandma’s famous apple pie, topped with your favourite ice cream. Traditionalists call for vanilla, but I prefer chocolate.
Oh boy, that’s yummy! As many Saltscapers would say, that’s “Right some good!”
If there is one sure thing about Atlantic Canadians, it’s that we love our food. The other thing we know is that true Saltscapers have discerning palates, especially when our food is made from products found right here in our backyards or pulled from the icy waters that surround us.
Hodge podge. Blueberry grunt. Rappie pie. Oat cakes.
Jiggs’ dinner. Fish and brewis (a stew of hardtack bread and salt fish). Toutons (leftover bread dough fried in butter). Figgy duff (steamed pudding).
Poutine râpée (a kind of stuffed potato dumpling). Fricot (chicken stew with dumplings). Coques frites (fried clams). Nun’s farts (a mini cinnamon roll).
Lobster rolls. Cows ice cream. Bannock. Seafood chowder.
If you knew the foods listed above originated respectively from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, you’re a real Saltscaper.
If you also knew that Luski, the traditional Mi’kmaw bread made with flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, is enjoyed right here in Atlantic Canada, then you are a true Saltscaper. You probably also knew that traditional Lebanese fattoush (a minty lemony salad with fried pita bread) and Greek moussaka are also served in the region.
Just like the language we speak, the traditions we practise, the religions we follow, and the history we share, our food is an important part of our Atlantic Canadian culture. The food we eat provides comfort, instills family traditions, forges friendships, and connects us to our heritage. It soothes our very souls.
Acclaimed Cape Breton home cook Mary Janet MacDonald, best known for her Tunes and Wooden Spoons YouTube channel and two bestselling cookbooks, says the food in Atlantic Canada is so unique, and tasty, that it’s synonymous with the region. Our cuisine defines us as a people and distinguishes us from the rest of Canada and the entire world.
“The foods we enjoy in Atlantic Canada have been tried and tasted and passed down through many generations. Our recipes, mostly shared by word of mouth, are made with love for our children and grandchildren,” explains Mary Janet. “We prepare our foods as a family and we gather around the kitchen table as a family not only to enjoy a delicious meal, but to also celebrate our love for each other.”
Nothing, she points out, will bring a family closer than food. As the mother of seven children and grandmother of 12, Mary Janet speaks from experience. “I express my love for my family through food. I know what they all love and I get great pleasure in making it for them.”
Whenever Saltscapers get together, be it a happy occasion or a sad one, a casual or formal function, food is always a focal point.
“Chats around the kitchen table with good food prepared together are an important part of my family gatherings,” Mary Janet says. “That’s where you can find us when we’re together, as there’s nothing better than sharing good food in your favourite gathering place with the people we love.”
Because, as she adds, “There is nothing that says, ‘I love you’ to a real Saltscaper more than a good meal prepared by the hands of someone who loves you.”
Now, if you will excuse me, all this talk of food has made me peckish. As many a Newfoundlander would say, it’s time for a good old-fashioned scoff.