Maritimes Culinary Experiences
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide for Atlantic Canada, Canada.
Culinary traditions in the Maritime provinces are as diverse as the cultures and landscapes within it. Fishing, farming and cultural influences formed unique and enduring cuisines that shaped the gastronomic landscape as it is known today. While some food traditions like lobster, scallops and maple sugar are well-associated with the Maritimes, others are more regionally connected and distinctive to certain areas, such as Acadian food customs. However shaped, the Maritimes' exceptional food experiences are provided through a tasty mix of festivals, restaurants, markets and unique interpretive opportunities.
FLAVOURS FROM THE SEA
The waters surrounding the Maritime provinces offer a banquet of succulent seafood sure to entice any palate. While lobster is most synonymous with the region, salmon, scallops, clams, oysters and mussels are also popular on the tables of Maritime homes and restaurants.
New Brunswick
Home to the World's Largest Lobster, and known as the lobster capital of the world, Shediac provides ample opportunities to sample local seafood delicacies in its many restaurants and at the annual Shediac Lobster Festival, held in early July. A regional tradition since 1949, the festival features community lobster suppers, lobster-eating contests and live local entertainment. For those looking for a hands-on, educational experience, Croisieres Shediac Bay Cruises offers half-day lobster or mackerel fishing adventures and tutorials.
The waters off Caraquet Bay, near Caraquet and Lameque, are ideal for supporting natural oyster colonies. Sheltered, sandy, shallow-water beaches and inlets make for a small, delicate and less briny style of oysters called Caraquets and Malpeques. Oysters in this region are harvested from September to the end of November and are celebrated through the annual Festival des Huitres de Maisonnette (Maisonette Oyster Festival) in early October. The festival features an array of oyster-themed festivities, including shucking and eating contests and a community dinner.
Prince Edward Island
Food has long been one of the primary economic industries on the island, best known for its red-earth-grown potatoes, seafood and home-made traditions. It is no surprise that food plays such an important part of island culture and tourism.
Restaurateurs serve the wealth of the sea at an array of seasonal lobster suppers held island-wide. Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico, Cardigan Lobster Suppers in Cardigan and New Glasgow Lobster Suppers in New Glasgow all offer authentic seafood dinners and marine-inspired ambiance. Mussels, scallops, snow crab, haddock and surf-and-turf selections are also typically served.
Deemed the largest kitchen party on the island, the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival offers three, food-filled days of events. The festival, held in historic Charlottetown at the end of September, features chowder-making competitions, oyster-shucking contests, culinary demonstrations and plenty of opportunities for tastings. Fall Flavours is another popular foodie event, which features culinary experiences hosted by world-class chefs, interactive taste workshops and an island cuisine showcase at restaurants province-wide. A unique aspect of the event is its direct-to-the-source product experiences, wherein participants can enjoy food straight from the source. Visitors can sign up to harvest oysters, dig clams or catch lobsters.
Nova Scotia
Along the picturesque Cabot Trail in May and June, seafaring traditions and cultural celebrations come alive at Lobsterpalooza, a 35-day event which combines seafood, music, art and Gaelic customs. Fishing derbies, lobster suppers, seafood ceilidhs, a mussel festival and boat tours are just a few of the highlights.
Traditional lobster suppers are a continued custom in the seaside communities of Nova Scotia. These suppers typically feature an all-inclusive, multi-course menu of lobster, side salads and home-made desserts. A noteworthy location, the Shore Club in Hubbards, near Halifax, has been serving up delicious seafood and live entertainment since 1946. It features an all-you-can-eat mussel and salad bar and selections for landlubbers. The restaurant has served over one million lobsters since its inception and this tradition shows no sign of slowing.
Halifax is a city of diversity and choices when it comes to food, and seafood selections are offered on just about every menu in town. A few notable restaurants, which offer true Nova Scotian hospitality and delectable seafood in the heart of the city, include Five Fishermen, McKelvie's Seafood Restaurant and Salty's on the Waterfront.
FLAVOURS FROM THE LAND
The fertile lands of the Maritimes provide bountiful crops and products, including potatoes, fruit, maple sugar and a local favourite, fiddleheads. Regional specialties are celebrated through an array of festivities, attractions and local customs.
Nova Scotia
While blueberries grow wild across all three provinces, the central region of Nova Scotia is best known as one of the world's largest blueberry producers and processors. Oxford is home to one of the region's longest-running processing plants and is known as the blueberry capital of Canada for its hand in the wild blueberry processing industry. The town features the Wild Blueberry and Maple Centre, which showcases exhibits and interpretive displays on blueberry production, harvesting and the fruit's many nutritional benefits. The central Northumberland Shore and Fundy Shore and Annapolis Valley regions of Nova Scotia celebrate the wild blueberry harvest during the two-week Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival in August. Community teas, bake sales, pie-eating contests and farm tours are just a sample of the activities on offer.
For those with a sweet tooth, a visit to Sugar Moon Farm near Tatamagouche will not disappoint. The operational maple sugary is open year-round for unique dining experiences. Sugar camp tours, pancake brunches, sugar maple hikes and retail sales of syrups, candies and butters made with local maple sugar are featured.
New Brunswick
The Potato World Museum, located in the French fry capital of the world, Florenceville, New Brunswick, features interactive displays on the history of the potato and its important role in the province's economy. Visitors can sample potato-based dishes in the on-site café or stroll through a potato variety garden on the grounds.
Fiddlehead ferns, named for their resemblance to the scroll of a fiddle, are a popular seasonal delight found growing along riverbanks all over New Brunswick. The dark green ferns have a short harvesting period during April and May and are picked when the head is tightly coiled and has sprouted approximately 3 cm (1 in) above ground. They are typically prepared by steaming or boiling and served hot with butter and vinegar. During their short season, fiddleheads are sold at farmers' markets and grocery stores and appear on the menus of select restaurants throughout the province.
ACADIAN TRADITIONS
Traditional fare can be found in Acadian communities across the Maritimes. The popular poutines rapees (not to be confused with the Quebecois French fry, cheese curd and gravy dish) is a dumpling-style treat made with salt pork and potatoes and topped off with fruit preserves or maple syrup. Acadian stews, or fricots, are made with root vegetables and meat or fish, depending on the region. Many Acadian selections are one-pot meals, cooked via boiling and accompanied with bread. The Dieppe Market in Dieppe, La Foire Brayonne cultural event in Edmunston, the Festival Acadien de Clare in Clare, the restaurants of Cheticamp in Cape Breton and Le Centre-Expo Festival in Abram-Village, Prince Edward Island are all ideal locations for sampling Acadian cuisine.
FLAVOURS FROM THE SEA
The waters surrounding the Maritime provinces offer a banquet of succulent seafood sure to entice any palate. While lobster is most synonymous with the region, salmon, scallops, clams, oysters and mussels are also popular on the tables of Maritime homes and restaurants.
New Brunswick
Home to the World's Largest Lobster, and known as the lobster capital of the world, Shediac provides ample opportunities to sample local seafood delicacies in its many restaurants and at the annual Shediac Lobster Festival, held in early July. A regional tradition since 1949, the festival features community lobster suppers, lobster-eating contests and live local entertainment. For those looking for a hands-on, educational experience, Croisieres Shediac Bay Cruises offers half-day lobster or mackerel fishing adventures and tutorials.
The waters off Caraquet Bay, near Caraquet and Lameque, are ideal for supporting natural oyster colonies. Sheltered, sandy, shallow-water beaches and inlets make for a small, delicate and less briny style of oysters called Caraquets and Malpeques. Oysters in this region are harvested from September to the end of November and are celebrated through the annual Festival des Huitres de Maisonnette (Maisonette Oyster Festival) in early October. The festival features an array of oyster-themed festivities, including shucking and eating contests and a community dinner.
Prince Edward Island
Food has long been one of the primary economic industries on the island, best known for its red-earth-grown potatoes, seafood and home-made traditions. It is no surprise that food plays such an important part of island culture and tourism.
Restaurateurs serve the wealth of the sea at an array of seasonal lobster suppers held island-wide. Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico, Cardigan Lobster Suppers in Cardigan and New Glasgow Lobster Suppers in New Glasgow all offer authentic seafood dinners and marine-inspired ambiance. Mussels, scallops, snow crab, haddock and surf-and-turf selections are also typically served.
Deemed the largest kitchen party on the island, the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival offers three, food-filled days of events. The festival, held in historic Charlottetown at the end of September, features chowder-making competitions, oyster-shucking contests, culinary demonstrations and plenty of opportunities for tastings. Fall Flavours is another popular foodie event, which features culinary experiences hosted by world-class chefs, interactive taste workshops and an island cuisine showcase at restaurants province-wide. A unique aspect of the event is its direct-to-the-source product experiences, wherein participants can enjoy food straight from the source. Visitors can sign up to harvest oysters, dig clams or catch lobsters.
Nova Scotia
Along the picturesque Cabot Trail in May and June, seafaring traditions and cultural celebrations come alive at Lobsterpalooza, a 35-day event which combines seafood, music, art and Gaelic customs. Fishing derbies, lobster suppers, seafood ceilidhs, a mussel festival and boat tours are just a few of the highlights.
Traditional lobster suppers are a continued custom in the seaside communities of Nova Scotia. These suppers typically feature an all-inclusive, multi-course menu of lobster, side salads and home-made desserts. A noteworthy location, the Shore Club in Hubbards, near Halifax, has been serving up delicious seafood and live entertainment since 1946. It features an all-you-can-eat mussel and salad bar and selections for landlubbers. The restaurant has served over one million lobsters since its inception and this tradition shows no sign of slowing.
Halifax is a city of diversity and choices when it comes to food, and seafood selections are offered on just about every menu in town. A few notable restaurants, which offer true Nova Scotian hospitality and delectable seafood in the heart of the city, include Five Fishermen, McKelvie's Seafood Restaurant and Salty's on the Waterfront.
FLAVOURS FROM THE LAND
The fertile lands of the Maritimes provide bountiful crops and products, including potatoes, fruit, maple sugar and a local favourite, fiddleheads. Regional specialties are celebrated through an array of festivities, attractions and local customs.
Nova Scotia
While blueberries grow wild across all three provinces, the central region of Nova Scotia is best known as one of the world's largest blueberry producers and processors. Oxford is home to one of the region's longest-running processing plants and is known as the blueberry capital of Canada for its hand in the wild blueberry processing industry. The town features the Wild Blueberry and Maple Centre, which showcases exhibits and interpretive displays on blueberry production, harvesting and the fruit's many nutritional benefits. The central Northumberland Shore and Fundy Shore and Annapolis Valley regions of Nova Scotia celebrate the wild blueberry harvest during the two-week Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival in August. Community teas, bake sales, pie-eating contests and farm tours are just a sample of the activities on offer.
For those with a sweet tooth, a visit to Sugar Moon Farm near Tatamagouche will not disappoint. The operational maple sugary is open year-round for unique dining experiences. Sugar camp tours, pancake brunches, sugar maple hikes and retail sales of syrups, candies and butters made with local maple sugar are featured.
New Brunswick
The Potato World Museum, located in the French fry capital of the world, Florenceville, New Brunswick, features interactive displays on the history of the potato and its important role in the province's economy. Visitors can sample potato-based dishes in the on-site café or stroll through a potato variety garden on the grounds.
Fiddlehead ferns, named for their resemblance to the scroll of a fiddle, are a popular seasonal delight found growing along riverbanks all over New Brunswick. The dark green ferns have a short harvesting period during April and May and are picked when the head is tightly coiled and has sprouted approximately 3 cm (1 in) above ground. They are typically prepared by steaming or boiling and served hot with butter and vinegar. During their short season, fiddleheads are sold at farmers' markets and grocery stores and appear on the menus of select restaurants throughout the province.
ACADIAN TRADITIONS
Traditional fare can be found in Acadian communities across the Maritimes. The popular poutines rapees (not to be confused with the Quebecois French fry, cheese curd and gravy dish) is a dumpling-style treat made with salt pork and potatoes and topped off with fruit preserves or maple syrup. Acadian stews, or fricots, are made with root vegetables and meat or fish, depending on the region. Many Acadian selections are one-pot meals, cooked via boiling and accompanied with bread. The Dieppe Market in Dieppe, La Foire Brayonne cultural event in Edmunston, the Festival Acadien de Clare in Clare, the restaurants of Cheticamp in Cape Breton and Le Centre-Expo Festival in Abram-Village, Prince Edward Island are all ideal locations for sampling Acadian cuisine.
Waterfront Lodging
