Canadian Sweets
February 5, 2008
When I moved back from the States I went on a binge. A sugar binge.
I regret nothing!
Canada has a surprising superiority when it comes to sweets. Sure America may have kick ass Mexican food — although it’s quite possible Mexico makes better Mexican food — and Southern BBQ rocks my world, but there is nothing south of the border that beats Canadian based sugary snacks. There are many snacks available in Canada, that were not an option while I was living in the U.S.
For example butter tarts.
Gooey sweetness in a crumbly pastry. God himself would kill Mother Theressa for one of these. When I moved back to Canada I ate a dozen a day. Every day. For months. And then when I finally got out of the hospital I found the nearest bakery and had another one! They are that good.
Next is a true Canadian treat, Nanimo Bars.
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Nanaimo bars, not as good as butter tarts, are still something special. Named after the city Nanaimo, British Columbia. They are proud of their bars in Nanaimo — which has resulted in an unfortunate alcoholism problem.
On a more mass-market scale there is the line of Vachon Cakes. My favorites are the Au Caramel cakes. Vachon cakes can kick Hostess products sugary butts. Three times. Before breakfast. And then three more times before brunch.
Entry Filed under: canadian, culture, humour. Tags: butter tarts, Canada, canadian, Canadianism, culture, dessert, food, funny, hostess, humor, humour, nanaimo bars, opinion, patriotism, snacks, southern bbq, sugar, sweets, vachon.
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1.
Amelie | February 5, 2008 at 4:17 am
Mexico does not have better mexican food that America, just for the record. It’s pretty gross. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona all tie for best Mexican food. That’s how American’s roll. We trade you 7 blankets and a gunpowder recipe for the entire Western US and then we steal your food and make it better. Don’t screw with us or we’ll be selling butter tarts by the 4th of July.
The butter tart reminds me of these tiny pumpkin pies I found over Thanksgiving. They were in similar bite-sized shells and topped with dollop of cream-cheese frosting and I’m pretty sure I became diabetic at various points during the Tgiving season. I’m glad that only happens once a year because Im pretty sure I would go to my grave clutching one of those tiny pies if they were a 365-day kind of treat.
How do canadians feel mint chocolate chip ice cream? I found europeans to be quite distressed by mixing mint, a flavor they associate with toothpaste, with any consumable product. ESPECIALLY chocolate. Clearly they’re not only people of poor hygiene, but also poor taste.
Love,
USA
2.
C. Fraser | February 5, 2008 at 5:05 am
I’ve never actually had mexican food in mexico, so thanks for the info. Here in Toronto I have yet to come across a half-decent mexican place yet. Still keeping my figners crossed.
Ahhh….the mint chocolate chip ice cream. My experience with this treat is one filled with pain and just seeing the name of the treat in type brings crippling pain to my soul.
Thanks Amelie…thanks…
Just kidding. But it was the favorite treat of my ex. I honestly can’t remember if I knew about it before I moved to the U.S., and honestly I haven’t eaten much ice cream here, so I’m not sure if it’s available in Canada or not. Personally, I liked it just fine. Not my favorite ice cream, but very good.
Every have ketchup chips?
3.
daranee | February 6, 2008 at 12:19 am
Dare cookies are nice. I went to a Safeway in the States and saw they had a knockoff. Different shape but same packaging. I thought, would Safeway really go to the trouble of making a new cookie, or is this just a generic of Dare? They tasted awfully close in any case.
4.
C. Fraser | February 6, 2008 at 6:09 am
I’m not familiar with Dare cookies. The name sounds familiar. I’ll have to investigate further.
5.
daranee | February 7, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Really? Maybe it’s another thing we Americans think are Canadian. I’ve got them in B.C. They’re these great maple sandwich cookies that are shaped like maple leaves.
6.
C. Fraser | February 7, 2008 at 5:28 pm
It’s possible they are Canadian in origin, I’m just not familiar with them. I like cookies, but as a class they aren’t one of my favorite snacks.
7. Canadian Salty: Ketchup Chips « Canadian Fermentation | April 18, 2008 at 12:01 am
[...] Salty: Ketchup Chips In a previous post called Canadian Sweets I wrote about a few sugary snacks that are available in Canada, but were unavailable anywhere I had [...]
8.
Helen Reichman | February 18, 2009 at 2:43 am
Does anyone know of a Canadian store that sells barley sugar sweets? I got hooked on them when I lived in the UK but can’t find them (other than an occasional small tin of inferior imitations)
I’m looking for a supplier that I could order bag-loads from.