There’s something about Canadian winters that gets us craving some comfort food. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s getting close to the festive season, or maybe simply because it’s so cold.
Either way, we want something that’ll make us feel good. We asked our readers about their favourite winter comfort food. Here are the top ten they told us about. What’s your favourite one?
Poutine
It wouldn’t be a Canadian food list without some poutine. A few readers told us that they like nothing better than some poutine when it’s dark by 4:30 PM, and they said the best kind is the one with gravy that’s hot enough to melt everything.
Quite a few people said they have it throughout the year. But apparently, winter is the best time, since you can enjoy a hot plate of it after skating or skiing.
Tourtière
Several readers said that they bake tourtière at home every December. Even people living outside of Quebec said it was well worth a try. For those who don’t know about it, tourtière is a mixture of ground pork & warm spices, sometimes with potato.
Many readers recommended freezing a few slices. Why? Because then you can pull them out when you’re tired of cooking mid-winter.
Split pea soup
You can’t beat a Quebec classic like split pea soup. At least, that’s what a few readers said, and they claimed that the Habitant yellow split pea soup brand is the best kind. It’s thick & salty in a way that makes it perfect for winter.
The dish actually dates back to early French settlement. Today, most people eat it after shovelling some snow or a late-night hockey game.
Bannock with stew
Our readers who grew up eating bannock still swear by it today. They mentioned that they ate it at winter powwows & community events outdoors.
It’s Indigenous bread that’s either fried or baked, and you’ll find the bread in different forms all over Canada. Try dunking the bread in some beef or venison stew. It’s truly delicious & great for warming up during those cold winters.
Perogies
Some of our readers in the Prairies were very specific about the best way to eat perogies. They said that, during the winter, you should pan-fry frozen ones with onions & bacon because they’re an easy choice for when it’s too cold to think.
Places like Alberta and Saskatchewan even have festivals dedicated to the food. You can try some perogies with sour cream on the side for some extra tang. There’s no greater lazy-night choice out there.
Cabbage rolls (holubtsi)
Our Prairie readers also had another comfort food. They said they loved holubtsi, a kind of Ukrainian-Canadian dish made from cabbage leaves rolled with rice & meat. It’s then baked in tomato sauce.
A few readers said they cook it in bulk on the weekends because it freezes so well. They always have a bag ready to heat & eat.
Chicken pot pie
Apparently, chicken pot pie season begins the very second that the grocery stores put out family-size pies in the freezer endcaps. So many readers told us that chicken pot pie is their favourite. They said they eat it every January because they can’t get enough of that warm & creamy filling when they’re feeling cold.
It’s comforting in a way that’s different from soup. It’s also good for when you don’t feel like being a grown-up and cooking “real” food.
Maritime seafood chowder
Try asking some Nova Scotians what their favourite comfort winter food is. Chances are, they’ll be like our readers and say, “chowder.” It’s so popular that some tourist companies actually run chowder trails.
What makes chowder so comforting? Probably because it’s so creamy. Once you add some tea biscuits, it’s not hard to see why the dish is so Maritime winter-coded.
Pâté chinois
Several readers said they love making pâté chinois when everyone’s tired & it’s cold out. They also told us the best way to make it. Start with beef on the bottom, then corn, and finish with mashed potatoes.
Ketchup on top is apparently the only way to eat it. People love it so much that they actually portion pâté chinois into meal-prep containers to make sure they have enough.
Maple taffy
What other kind of taffy could there be for Canadians, other than maple taffy? A number of readers said they enjoy eating it during the winter because it makes the cold feel a lot more tolerable.
Those living in Québec can see taffy demonstrations for themselves. It’s well worth a look, since you get to see the taffy poured directly onto snow & rolled with a stick.
Related Articles:
10 ways winter changes daily routines in Canada