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While driving from Alberta to Quebec, Everything Lifestyle reporter Alessia Proietti made sure to try traditional dishes deeply rooted in the identity of whatever city she found herself in along the way.
DAY 5 – ORANGE JULEP (Montreal, QC)
Exhaustion was taking over, or perhaps it was my body going into hibernation mode from all the driving and the food, but we overslept by three hours on what was going to be the home stretch of our journey - an 11-hour driving day.
In a race against the sun and the first snowy roads our vehicle encountered without proper winter tires, we finally made it our destination in Quebec. And I couldn’t wait until morning because the only orange juice I wanted for breakfast was an Orange Julep.
My favorite popsicle is a creamsicle: citrusy freshness on the outside and vanilla ice cream inside; opposing but complimentary textures and taste. That’s the best way I could describe this frothy drink.
Some of you may be thinking, is this a typo? Does she mean Orange Julius from Dairy Queen? While both have similar ingredients, the Julius began in the United States in the 1920s and may actually be the drink’s origination….
But Montreal’s version comes with a little “je ne sais quoi”.
It comes with a hefty price tag, but everything about this drink is iconic, down to its building in the shape of a literal giant orange. The largest orange sphere in the world, you can see it from an airplane, and it has become a part of the city’s skyline.
Hermas Gibeau built his first 30-ft orange sphere in 1947 and doubled that for a three-storey high ball of fruit in 1964 for the Expo 67 World Fair. In Montreal, architecture is just as important as what happens inside the walls; after all, you eat with your eyes first!
The drive-in is a hub for Wednesday Cruise Nights and serves other classics like burgers, hot dogs, and poutines.
Nothing has really changed over the past 60 years. The specialty drink is served “on tap” as workers pull a lever from a giant transparent tube, as if the juice is literally being squeezed from the enormous orange ball. Customers can also order it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For many years the family who owns the business vowed they would die with the recipe but it was later revealed in a patent that the fruit juice is deacidified with skimmed milk powder and pectin. Others, however, say the secret ingredient is a powdered egg giving it its light and frothy texture.
The mystery is part of the allure but one thing’s for sure, this is no ordinary OJ.
DAY 6 – PEAMEAL BACON SANDWICH (Toronto, ONT)
Back up, didn’t we already pass Toronto? Yes, we did; you know your geography!
After a few days at home, my friend and I took a train back to Toronto for a wedding. But before getting all dolled up, I pigged out… literally.
I never understood what American meant when they say “Canadian bacon” because bacon was always, well, bacon.
However, “American” bacon is pork belly and “Canadian” bacon is smoked pork back. And peameal bacon, well that’s just next level.
A bacon unique to Toronto, the city was also nicknamed “Hogtown” for previously having the largest pork plant in the country in the early 1900s.
One man behind this plant, William Davies, is believed to also be the inventor of peameal bacon, trimming the fat off pork loin and rolling it in crushed yellow peas as a curing process, hence the PEA. A butcher later used cornmeal instead for its similar yellow color and texture, hence the MEAL.
The Carrousel Bakery in the city’s St. Lawrence Market, a 40-year establishment, created the sandwich, declared the city’s signature dish in 2016 by then-Mayor John Tory. Robert Biancolin, Executive Director of the restaurant, shared with local media that his father, a butcher, thought of the idea after wanting to utilize the end pieces of the meat that were less desirable.
Unsmoked, the normally dry meat remains juicy when cooked on a griddle, lightly crisping the peameal coating. The sandwich comes on a soft round bun with traditional honey mustard sauce, among other choices.
While the sandwich may look like it’s missing a few layers of veg at first glance, you realize at first bite that this meal needs nothing more than your appreciation. You begin to feel like you’re biting into a juicy, salty cutlet, with hints of sweetness in the background from the sauce; the flavours surpassing the simple ingredients-list, making you question if the clerk undercharged you for something so delicious.
A pure comfort food, you’ll never be able to look at bacon the same again.
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The heart of Canada is anything but bland. Not only is our country absolutely gorgeous (and I say this having had mild winter weather) but the food and the people who create it, are top tier.
No matter where you go, food is what brings people together; it uses the ingredients of history, agriculture, economics, art, and society, to create a recipe of identity for a people in a specific place in the world. A common thread for those in it and a recognizable symbol for those out of it.
That’s what makes a dish, a staple.
