r/saskatoon • u/[deleted] • Jun 23 '17
Iconic foods from Saskatchewan?
Hello Saskatoon Redditors,
I am working on a series about iconic Canadian foods for my blog, and I could use some input for Saskatchewan. I'm trying to come up with 10 iconic foods but I'm struggling! My research has come up with a few things. Am I on the right track? What am I missing?
- Saskatoon Berries (pie, perogies)
- Platz
- Regina-style Pizza
- Mustard?
- Bison (is bison tongue a thing?)
- Pemmican?
- Northern Pike?
- Ukrainian Sausage (Grayson?)
- Wild Rice / Lentils
- Chokecherries
- Boiled Wheat (kutia)
- Hamburger Soup?
- Bannock (burgers/tacos?)
- Paralyzers
Much thanks!
10
u/Makir East Side Jun 23 '17
-Pickerel Cheeks -Rhubarb Pie -Beer and Clam
1
Jun 23 '17
Beer and clam?
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u/Makir East Side Jun 23 '17
Shitty Beer(pilsner, etc) with Clamato juice poured into it. Lots of people in Sask drink this.
1
Jun 23 '17
Ah, I've always thought it was called a Red Eye or a Michelada but I guess those are technically different. I did notice that more people drink those in Calgary than here in Halifax.
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u/Makir East Side Jun 23 '17
Yeah I've heard those names in other places but here it's just called a Beer and Clam.
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u/corialis social disty pro Jun 23 '17
Caesars may have been invented in Calgary, but I know more people who drink them than paralyzers.
Honestly, Sask/Manitoba/Alberta could be combined into one area because we share so much culture.
3
u/falsekoala Last Saskatchewan Pirate Jun 24 '17
Tried to order a paralyze at a wedding in Ontario and the bartender had never heard of one. Told me it must be a Saskatchewan thing.
1
u/monkey_sage Jun 23 '17
Let's get Ottawa to re-open the constitution to recognize us as a distinct society.
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Jun 23 '17
[deleted]
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u/eeny-meenie-miney-mo Jun 23 '17
Yes, greek dry ribs used to be THE bar food. Not as much anymore, but I rarely see greek ribs like I had in saskatoon at the bars.
2
Jun 23 '17
I was thinking about putting these on my Alberta list as they are at virtually every bar in Calgary. With a side of ranch dressing, of course.
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u/fajita123 Jun 23 '17
I don't have anything to add to your list, but what is Regina style pizza??
6
Jun 23 '17
I found this.. I still think this is BS though.. I've never heard of a deep-dish biscuit style crust being called 'Regina style' before... Sounds like something that people invented for Ontario.
http://canadianrestaurantnews.com/canada/latest-news/prairie-pizza-finds-a-place-in-leslieville-
3
Jun 23 '17
The Copper Kettle is Regina's best example of its "signature pizza." It might be considered Greek-style elsewhere, I imagine.
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u/mw1642 Jun 23 '17
This is the first time in hearing of this too. Though I am from Saskatoon, so i avoid Regina like the plague. 😛
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u/PantslessDan Jun 23 '17
Saskatoon doesn't have anywhere that does the "regina style" which is really disappointing.
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Jun 23 '17
It's like Houston and Vern's. Prairie pizza is thick with thick layers of meat under the cheese. It's similar in Alberta but Regina in particular is known for its meaty layers of cheap pepperoni.
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u/fajita123 Jun 23 '17
Huh. Did not know that was a Sask thing. Haven't noticed when travelling outside of the province I guess. TIL!
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u/pawly123 Jun 23 '17
Can confirm. I lived out of province for a few years and remember being shocked I couldn't find the really good thick pizza I liked. It was the pizza I grew up eating. Houston pizza style. Really thick with meat and veggies and cut into little squares.
4
u/zzzzapnfap Jun 24 '17
I vaugely remember many years ago, I was staying at a hotel in Medicine hat and had that urge for late night pizza. Looked in the phone book (smart phones didn't exist then and wtf was google) and I recall the ad for a Vern' s pizza outlet claiming Saskatchewan style pizza... I laughed and thought what the hell does that mean, I'm born and raised in Saskatchewan and never heard of pizza being described as Saskatchewan style. The Houston pizza chains and western pizza chains in Regina and Moose Jaw always claimed Chicago deep dish style. Then I moved to Saskatoon and realized how much I misses the pizza from the south.
If anyone is reading this with the desire to open a pizza place... please for the love of god save us all and finally open a Houston pizza in Saskatoon!!!
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u/JazzMartini Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Farmer Sausage
Not a specific food item but the "Fowl Supper".
1
Jun 24 '17
Google tells me a "fowl supper" is a community turkey dinner served around harvest time?
1
u/JoeDwarf Grosvenor Park Jun 24 '17
Fowl or fall, I've heard it both ways. They are held in church basements or community halls as fundraisers in September and October. The fare is usually cooked by the local ladies and similar to a small town wedding: turkey, ham, perogies, cabbage rolls, macaroni salad and dainties. "Dainties" meaning baked goods in small portions: squares, cookies, cake etc.
4
u/Efram Jun 24 '17
As someone else mentioned, Caesars (the drink) seem to me to be far more popular than paralyzers. We also love our Rye + Coke, and Pilsner. You could run a successful bar in just about any small town by offering just those 3 drinks. Otherwise we're very Ukrainian/Eastern European and First Nations, which you've hit already. I'll also make a plug for Doukhobor bread, though that may be very specific to a single week annually in Saskatoon. There are a fairly large number of people of Doukhobor heritage (Russian sect of Christianity) in Saskatchewan, and every year during the Ex (traveling fair/carnival) they open up a booth selling Doukhobor bread. It's the only time most people can get the authentic bread, and it's very popular.
2
u/headtale Jun 25 '17
Not much to add except that on my own blog, where I've written about politics, libraries (sometimes both at once!), technology, and a zillion other subjects on a near daily basis for over ten years, consistently one of my "Top Five" Most Viewed posts is one from 2006 titled "How To Make a Rye & Coke Press".
So that might be something you want to explore in greater detail?
4
u/JarvisFunk Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 24 '17
I mean it might be a stretch/Ukrainian. But perogies are a staple around here.
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u/Furryamigo Jun 24 '17
Of your current list, I agree with Saskatoon berry pie, bison, Ukrainian sausage (deer sausage is also big), chokecherries, bannock, and paralyzers. Maybe mustard and pemmican. The rest I have not really seen or heard of being that big of a thing.
You have your work cut out for you, coming up with 10 distinct saskatchewan foods is tough. I can't offer many additional items other than wheat/barley pale lagers, and Ukrainian food (specifically perogies).
1
Jun 24 '17
If I could come up with 10 for PEI I'm sure I can wrangle 10 from Saskatchewan! I think hamburger soup came to me from this blog. Is there no truth to it?
1
u/Furryamigo Jul 08 '17
Actually after googling what hamburger soup looked like, I know many people that eat it regularly and restaurants that serve something like it.
I have never had it, but it definitely has a presence.
1
Jul 06 '17
Following up: is deer sausage something sold in stores/restaurants or something you have to make at home or "know a guy"?
2
u/Furryamigo Jul 08 '17
I don't think it is sold in stores and restaurants, but many people hunt in saskatchewan and lots of them will make use of the meat of deer they kill. Most butchers in small towns will butcher meat that you bring them. And it seems like a common use is to turn it into sausage.
Whenever I go to a meal or gathering in a more rural place, it seems like someone always brings sausage from a deer that they killed a few months ago. I have never seen it in bigger cities like Regina or Saskatoon though.
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u/sliss_77 Jun 24 '17
I knew several farmers who make "wheat salad" which is actually a weird dessert type thing.
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u/toby919 River Heights Jun 23 '17
What is Regina-style Pizza? I always noticed they had a very high number of pizza parlors there, never tried any out though.
1
u/roadworm Jun 23 '17
Not exactly a food but canola oil maybe
1
Jun 23 '17
Ah yes, good 'ol rapeseed. This is why Saskatchewan is tough. There is lots of agriculture but I can't seem to pin point a signature dish, as I can with every other province.
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u/headtowind Jun 23 '17
Judging by your list you don't know a thing about Saskatchewan. Maybe come visit before you butcher us for you blog. A top 10 list sounds like you're writing for buzzfeed.
Hell, or pay me a cut to write the Saskatchewan portion.
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u/aLousyFatKid ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Jun 23 '17
He's here asking for our opinion, get your head out of your ass.
-1
Jun 23 '17
I had this same thought. Sorry.
Also "Regina style" pizza isn't known by anyone. Not people in Regina, not people in Saskatoon. I have family in Regina and I've looked into this before.
3
Jun 23 '17
My Saskatchewan friend here in Halifax knew exactly what I was talking about! How strange. I think maybe when you grow up with a pizza you don't realize it's a "style" until you move away. Hence the articles about "Regina-style" pizza coming to Toronto.
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u/Gogogonegone Jun 24 '17
I drove cab in Regina for years. I had at least 100 conversations over the years with out-of-towners about "Regina style pizza". I never heard it mentioned by anyone local. We just call it pizza.
1
Jun 24 '17
Makes sense! What kind of pjzza do they ea in Halifax??
3
Jun 24 '17
To be honest, with a few exceptions Halifax pizza kind of sucks. It is a medium thick hand-tossed pizza with cheap ingredients and no abundance. Most shops are Lebanese run. This is typical. But Nova Scotians love their pizza, and Cape Breton-style (Italian roots) and Pictou County style (Greek families) have passionate followings.
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u/-Mishmisha- Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 24 '17
Peanut butter Marshmallow squares seem to have originated on the prairies and are super popular. http://www.lvoe.ca/index.php?q=node/202
Rhubarb pie and cinnamon rhubarb cake.
Cabbage rolls, perogies, borscht, and nalysnyky, etc.
Matrimonial squares were more popular in older generations and I haven't had one since I was a teenager.
http://www.food.com/recipe/matrimonial-squares-26547
EDIT: Flapper pie, but it's maybe a general prairies thing (like a lot of these foods)
https://www.grainews.ca/2016/10/07/grandmas-prize-winning-flapper-pie/
http://www.producer.com/2007/04/flapper-pie-name-comes-from-prairies-team-resources/
Saskatoon berries are usually done in a pie or jam.
EDIT2: Something to keep in mind is that Sask has only been a province for about 100 years, Saskatoon is about the same age, and in general we are super similar to Manitoba and Alberta. Besides the First Nations, the oldest that peoples families tend go back in Sask is also about 100-120 years, I think. Lots of immigrants at that time were German/Ukrainian/Russian. Even now a lot of families will have a mix of Anglo style and eastern european dishes at holidays, like roast turkey and stuffing, etc, but also perogies and cabbage rolls on the same table.