Native Nosh: Northern Canada's Classic Cuisine Quiz

Answer: any food supplied by the land

Country food is a term for any food supplied by the land. It covers not only meat and seafood like caribou, seal, whale, salmon, mussels, and clams, but it also includes more uncommon menu items, such as Arctic hare and ptarmigan. The ability to grow food at those Northern latitudes is limited because of the short and mild summers, but it also includes edible leaves, some grasses, and berries. Over time. and with European migration to the region, this traditional fare has fused with Western diets, so it is not uncommon to find Caribou burgers and fish (whale) and chips.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: whale skin and blubber

Muktuk (spelled in a variety of ways) is a traditional food of the indigenous people of the Arctic including Northern Canada and Greenland consisting of whale skin and blubber. It comes from the bowhead whale, although the beluga and the narwhal are also a source of the same food. It is usually consumed raw, but can also be eaten frozen or cooked or pickled. The skin must be cut otherwise it is too rubbery to eat. Traditionally muktuk is consumed like a snack while the rest of the whale meat is prepared.

On occasion muktuk can be prepared in various forms such as boiled (then called unaaliq) finely diced, breaded, or deep fried. It has become quite common to serve it with sauces from the outside world. Soy sauce is readily used in a variety of Inuit dishes and HP sauce, a commercial spicy sour sauce from the UK is occasionally a muktuk accompaniment.

While whale meat is available via hunting by indigenous people, it is not available commercially in Canada and indeed it is only available in this manner in Norway, Iceland, and South Korea. The Inuit have a ritual based on respect which is performed after a whale is caught but before any part is consumed.

This question was prepared and served by Phoenix Rising team member JAM6430.

Answer: confit

Somehow, the confit ptarmigan seems at odds with more traditional techniques used by the people of Northern Canada to prepare or preserve native foods. Confit is a method of food preservation where food is cooked slowly in fat, oil or syrup over a long period of time at low temperatures (usually about 90°C or 200°F). Modern usage of confit is less about preservation and more about preparation.

Drying (including the creation of jerky), smoking and grilling are all traditional methods of food preparation. Drying traditionally made use of sun and open air: removing water inhibits growth of bacteria, yeasts and moulds. Smoking also dries foods, adding flavours to meat and fish which are browned and cooked by smoke. Grilling is a fast method of cooking which uses high amounts of direct heat for short periods of time to produce distinctive flavours.

Phoenix Rising's psnz recommends *not* writing and researching food questions before a meal because of the Pavlovian response induced.

Answer: Arctic char

As its name implies, Arctic char (Savelinus alpinus) is found in alpine lakes and the coastal waters of the circumpolar North. Known as "omble chevalier" in French (one of Canada's two official languages), it lives in both freshwater and saltwater. Closely related to the salmon and the lake trout, it has fine-flaked, succulent flesh whose colour ranges from light pink to deep coral red. In Nunavut, Arctic char is traditionally caught under the winter ice with gill nets - commercial fisheries being extremely important to the economy of the territory.

Like salmon, Arctic char is a fatty fish, rich in healthy Omega-3 fats, an essential component of the diet of people who live in the harsh environment of Northern Canada. The Inuit often eat Arctic char raw, or preserve it by smoking or drying. At a restaurant, however, this delicious fish is more likely to be served roasted, grilled, or pan-fried, or maybe in some local variation of sushi or sashimi.

Of the three fish species listed as wrong answers, the Patagonian toothfish (or Chilean sea bass) is found in the Southern Hemisphere, the Pacific halibut in the waters of the west coast of North America, and the Atlantic herring somewhat further south than the Arctic char.

This fishy question leaped at LadyNym out of a hole in the ice.

Answer: it is very lean

The musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) is a relative of the bison and mountain goat. Their name comes from the male that emits a musky odour in mating season. They are found on islands and mainland in the high Arctic tundra from Russia, Canada and Alaska and Norway. They are plentiful in Northern Canada, but in places like Alaska they have been resettled. Males grow up to 5 ft. high (1.5 m) at the shoulder, and have a dense fur coat that can be made into wool for clothing. In Northern Canada, where they are more plentiful than anywhere else, they are allowed to be hunted in small number under a permit system.

Their meat is lean and rich. It needs little preparation or additives to make a pleasant meal. Indigenous peoples also use various parts of the musk ox including skin as a runner for sleds, and the horn is used as a ladle or spoon.

This question was yoked in by Phoenix Rising team member Rizeeve.

Answer: Indian paintbrush

Indian paintbrush (also Castilleja or prairie-fire) is a genus of some 200 species of plants native to the west of the Americas. Its flowers are edible, however because plants absorb and concentrate selenium, the roots and greenery are toxic.

The other answers are forage targets in Northern Canada. Lamb's quarters are various edible species of plants commonly referred to as goosefoot (Chenopodium) or pigweed: related to spinach, this group of plants have a history of culinary usage as leafy vegetables. With its triangular purse-like flat fruits, shepherd's purse (Capella bursa-pastoris) is a flowering plant in the mustard family and something of a weed in colder climes: it can be eaten raw or ground to a meal for beverages. Snowbird willow (Salix herbacea) is one of the smallest of the woody plants and is adapted to harsh climates: its highly flavoured young shoots and inner bark may be eaten raw or cooked.

Phoenix Rising's psnz planted this question into the quiz.

Answer: Scotland

The first known reference to bannock was in Scotland in the 8th century. Its ingredients are basic: water, flour, baking soda, and lard. Sugar, salt, or fruit can be added, depending on whether it's served as dinner or dessert. Most northerners will tell you that bannock tastes best when cooked over an open fire. Bannock was popular with hunters and trappers in the north due to the no-fuss recipe and easy availability of the ingredients. Today, gourmet bannock making is big business and a staple at many indigenous restaurants. (Warning: delicious bannock may result in guests refusing to leave the dinner table!)

This question was baked into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member Chiroman.

Answer: Labrador and Newfoundland

Labrador tea is the common name of a group of evergreen plants which grow throughout northern Canada and in boggy soils to the south of the country. Other names for these shrubs include Hudson's Bay tea and Indian tea. The names refer to both several related plant species (genus Rhododendron) and the resulting spicy herbal teas which are popular amongst First Nations and Inuit peoples. Aside from their use as beverages, infusions are also used to flavour meat dishes.

Concerns have been expressed that excessive consumption of Labrador tea can lead to health effects from its toxicity, while others feel its use has medicinal benefits.

Phoenix Rising's psnz brewed this question for the quiz.

Answer: beaver tail

Made from yeasted whole wheat dough and then extruded and deep fried, beaver tails are named from the extruded shape which resembles... a beaver tail! After removal from the fryer, the chewy beaver tail is then covered with whatever sweet topping is desired. Popular choices include Nutella, cinnamon and sugar, lemon and sugar, and whipped cream with sliced banana, but there are many variations! Perhaps the nearest equivalent are deep fried donuts? Beaver tails are a relatively recent culinary addition and started with the Hooker family in Killaloe, Ontario in 1978. Two years later they were selling them in Ottawa and they very quickly became extremely popular. They were served to visiting US President Barack Obama in 2009.

This question was sieved and moulded by Aussie MikeMaster99 who developed a taste for fine Canadian cuisine (and beaver tails!) while living in Calgary.

Answer: honey

Yukon Jack, a golden-coloured, wickedly strong beverage that blends Canadian whisky and honey, was named after Leroy Napoleon "Jack" McQuesten, a 19th-century gold rush pioneer, whose picture graces the label. Already available in the US in the 1940s, Yukon Jack became quite popular in the 1970s due to a successful advertising campaign that emphasized its being "100% proof" (50% alcohol by volume). Now this potent spirit is owned by the Sazerac Company, and manufactured in Québec. Used in a number of cocktails (some of whose names cannot be mentioned on a family-friendly site), Yukon Jack also comes in flavoured versions (Apple, Fire, Honey, and Snakebite), as well as in the peppermint-flavoured Perma Frost Schnapps.

Canada is one of the world's biggest producers of honey, which is believed to be the only food that never spoils, since microorganisms do not grow in it.

Writing this question was enough to give LadyNym (who is not exactly a heavy drinker) a hangover.