Canadian Food - Poutine and Maple

Canadian food is a hearty, comforting patchwork drawn from a vast land and many cultures. Its most famous dish is poutine, born in Quebec, a gloriously gooey pile of chips topped with squeaky cheese curds and hot gravy. Golden maple syrup, tapped from the sugar maples each spring and celebrated at rustic sugar shacks, sweetens everything, alongside regional treats from Atlantic lobster to prairie beef and butter tarts.

What you actually see

• Poutine - the chips, cheese curds and gravy of Quebec.
• Maple syrup - the golden syrup and the springtime sugar shacks.
• Regional specialities - Atlantic lobster, prairie beef, Pacific salmon.
• Butter tarts and Nanaimo bars - the classic Canadian sweets.

When to go

Year-round for poutine and diner fare; spring, roughly March, is maple season, when the sugar shacks, or cabanes a sucre, of Quebec open for feasts of syrup-drenched food, a delicious tradition.

Honest expectations

Poutine is indulgent, heavy comfort food rather than fine dining, best from a busy spot with fresh curds. Real maple syrup is expensive, and much sold cheaply abroad is imitation. Canada's food is more about regional produce and comfort classics than a single national cuisine.

Nearby

Quebec is the heartland of poutine and maple; each region has its own specialities.