We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.

Favourite Festive Foods

No matter what your background is, there’s probably something special (or lots of somethings!) you like to eat this time of year. Here’s the story behind some of Canada’s favourite festive foods.



















 

Tourtière

Credit: Roland Tanglao

This meat pie has been served in Quebec for more than 400 years! It is made from ground pork and other meats, and is an important part of French-Canadians’ big Christmas Eve dinner and often shows up on New Year’s Day, too.

Latkes

Credit: Tim Sackton

These delicious fried potato cakes probably first appeared in Canada around 1760 with the first Jewish immigrants. They are eaten at the time of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, which goes from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24 in 2014.

Shortbread

Scotland is the home of this crumbly cookie, where it started out as a hard biscuit made with leftover bread, but it’s been popular in Canada for centuries. Because it takes so much butter and sugar to make, shortbread was kept for special occasions such as Christmas and especially New Year’s Eve, called Hogmanay in Scotland.

Callaloo

Credit: Helen Graves

Made from a spinach-like leafy vegetable, this Caribbean dish is often found in feasts to celebrate Kwanzaa, the festival of African culture. Sometimes it’s a thick soup, others a side dish to have with chicken or rice and beans.

Eggnog

Credit: Kenn Wilson

Although this rich drink was popular among rich people in England, it became more popular in the United States, where lots of people had both milk and eggs. It’s mixed with sugar, nutmeg and often alcohol such as rum or whisky, but there are lots of kid-friendly versions, too.