So, I got curious about what folks in Canada actually eat alongside their main meals. You hear a lot about certain things, but I wanted to figure out what the common side dishes really are, you know, based on what I actually saw and tried.
My first thought was, well, it’s probably just like American food, right? Burgers and fries, maybe some mashed potatoes. And yeah, there’s definitely some overlap. But I started digging a bit deeper, just paying attention when I was out eating or talking to people.
The Big One: Poutine
Okay, let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Poutine. You can’t escape it. Seriously. I started seeing it everywhere. It’s basically french fries, cheese curds – these squeaky little things – and then hot gravy poured all over it. Sounds weird maybe, but man, it’s popular.
I tried it, of course. Had to. Ordered it as a side with a burger first time. It’s heavy, definitely comfort food. Sometimes it felt like a whole meal by itself, but yeah, lots of places list it under ‘sides’. So, poutine is definitely a major Canadian side dish, maybe the most famous one.
Maple Syrup Shows Up
Then there’s maple syrup. I knew about it for pancakes and waffles, obviously. That’s like, rule number one of Canadian breakfast, it seems. Eggs, bacon or sausage, maybe some fried potatoes, and something sweet drenched in maple syrup.
But what surprised me was seeing maple flavour pop up in other places. I remember trying some roasted vegetables, I think it was carrots and parsnips, and they had this subtle maple glaze. Sweet and savoury. Same with baked beans sometimes – a hint of maple. So while the syrup itself isn’t usually a ‘side dish’, that maple flavour definitely makes its way into things you eat alongside the main course. I even heard people use it in salad dressings. Didn’t try that one myself, but interesting.
Other Stuff I Noticed
Beyond poutine and maple-flavoured things, what else did I find?
- Fries: Plain old french fries are everywhere, just like in the States. Served with pretty much anything.
- Potatoes in General: Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes… Canadians seem to like their potatoes. Often part of the standard ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of meal.
- Salads: You get your basic green salads, Caesar salads, sometimes coleslaw, especially with fried stuff or BBQ. Nothing too shocking there.
- Baked Beans: Seemed pretty common, especially at breakfast places or diners. Like I said, sometimes with that maple touch.
- Soups: Sometimes soup is offered as a side before the main, especially in more set-menu situations.
So, yeah, my journey into Canadian side dishes wasn’t about discovering some crazy, exotic foods I’d never heard of (except maybe the cheese curds in poutine for some folks). It was more about seeing how common things are used and finding those specific Canadian touches, like the absolute dominance of poutine and the sneaky way maple flavour gets into savoury dishes.
It felt like a lot of hearty, comforting food. Made sense, especially during the colder months. That was my experience just looking around and eating my way through things. Pretty simple stuff, but definitely has its own Canadian flavour.
