Ask one of my fellow Canadians to describe our nation’s cuisine and you may very well be met with a blank stare, followed by a few mumbles about poutine and maple syrup being awesome.

It’s a tough question to answer.

Taking up a space of 3.8 million square miles, Canada is the world’s second-largest country, its terrain and waters offering a diverse range of ingredients that have been incorporated into the culinary traditions of its multicultural population.

For example, skilled chefs from Canada’s Indigenous communities have increasingly been highlighting traditional flavors, presenting them in new and delicious ways everywhere from restaurants to food trucks.

And then there are the many outside influences that have contributed a wealth of flavors to our national palate, some dating back centuries.

“To me, Canadian food is strongly defined by its multiculturalism and diversity, which is partly expressed through diasporic cuisines,” Clayton Ma, an editor with the Canadian Encyclopedia, which offers in-depth articles on many of Canada’s most famous dishes, tells CNN Travel.


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