[raggedy13]

Many cities have a type of food or dish that they're associated with...

Philly Cheesesteaks
Montreal Smoked Meat
Boston Clam Chowder
etc

While there isn't a food which shares Vancouver's namesake (at least none that come to mind), is there anything in Vancouver that you can't get anywhere else or that is rare outside of Vancouver/done differently outside of Vancouver?

Is there anything that, in your mind, Vancouver is known for?

[raggedy13]

Personally, when I think of Vancouver, I think sushi. Of course sushi is in no way unique to Vancouver but it's pretty damn big here.

Perhaps one could consider a 'BC Roll' a unique Vancouver food item? I can't recall if I've seen them in other cities outside BC so perhaps they haven't "made it big" in the way other cities' foods have but I guess they're at least a start. :shrug:

[Nutterbug]

Vancouver smoked salmon.

Even the Simpsons made a reference to it.

[Rusty Gull]

How about Japa-dog?

[Robynobotica]

Definitely smoked salmon. Salmon in general moreso than sushi, in my opinion. Vancouver has a lot of sushi, but the majority of it's "half-ass" sushi - poorly put together, lower quality, made by people cutting corners in the kitchen.

[npinguy]

Smoked Salmon - absolutely.


Sushi I would say is a quintessential food for Vancouver the same way that Indian food is a quintessential food for London. The britons eat a lot of curry. We eat a lot of california rolls. But it doesn't define our local cuisine. Salmon dos.

[murman]

Smoked Salmon - absolutely.


Sushi I would say is a quintessential food for Vancouver the same way that Indian food is a quintessential food for London. The britons eat a lot of curry. We eat a lot of california rolls. But it doesn't define our local cuisine. Salmon dos.


However, isn't Tojo credited with creating many of the rolls we eat today, including the California roll?

[Robynobotica]

However, isn't Tojo credited with creating many of the rolls we eat today, including the California roll?

It's been argued. But nobody says, "Oh Vancouver... you must go there and try this thing called the California roll!" ;)

It's the cheap, plentiful, large quantity sushi that Vancouver's known for. It's the wide selection of sushi that we're known for. Even then, there are places like San Francisco which are equally known for sushi. But sushi, in all honesty, is a recent adoption for Vancouver.

Meanwhile, smoked salmon... or just salmon in general is historically and culturally tied to Vancouver. You can find salmon in almost every restaurant, on almost any menu. Salmon is a staple food to the point where nobody even thinks of it as anything else. It's what's for dinner. It's what you BBQ. It's what you go out and see in your local rivers. Etc, Etc, ;)

[Kilgore Trout]

The thing about salmon is that it's just a fish. It's common everywhere in coastal BC, so there's nothing that ties it specifically to Vancouver.

Smoked meat, bagels, cheesesteaks, chowder, etc. are specific dishes. They contain a variety of different ingredients that were brought together in a unique fashion.

Smoked salmon is something that would be equivalent to smoked meat or pastrami but, again, it has nothing to do with Vancouver specifically, since it was created long before Vancouver's existence. Saying that smoked salmon is a Vancouver dish would be like saying that tourtière is a Montreal dish. It isn't.

[agrant]

What the heck is Montreal smoked meat anyway?

[bils]

Sablefish is the best facking fish you'll ever taste in your life. Caught off the coast of BC I believe

[Jacques]

What the heck is Montreal smoked meat anyway?


TRULY:cool: :cool: :cheers: :koko:
Smoked meat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the general process, see Smoking (cooking).
Smoked Meat sandwich, served with coleslaw, potato chips and half a pickle
Smoked Meat sandwich, served with coleslaw, potato chips and half a pickle

Smoked meat is a method of preparing fish and meat which originates in prehistory. Its purpose is to preserve these protein rich foods, which would otherwise spoil quickly, for long periods of possibly lean times. There are two mechanisms for this preservation: dehydration and the antibacterial properties of absorbed smoke. In modern days, the enhanced flavor of smoked foods make it a delicacy in many cultures.
Contents

* 1 General
* 2 Montreal
* 3 Luxembourg
* 4 See also

[edit] General

Smoking of meat and fish has been practiced for ages. Indigenous cultures around the world may have used smoke during the drying of fish to drive away the flies. They soon found that the absorbed smoke acted as a preservative. Perhaps the most famous "smokers of meat" were the Caribbean natives who smoked it on a rack over a smoky fire, a setup they called "barbacoa" (one possible etymological origin of barbecue). Famous among early smokers of meat are the Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Europe, and is often associated with other foods popularized by Jewish communities, such as bagels. In North America, outside of Montreal, "Montreal smoked meat" is referred to as pastrami which is derived from the Yiddish: פא סטראמע (pronounced pastrómeh). However, lovers of Montreal Smoked Meat vociferously argue that the consistency, flavoring, seasoning and color of Pastrami differs significantly from that of Smoked Meat.Montreal smoked meat comes in two flavors-"old fashioned" which is a process where the meat is naturally aged or cured and "regular" a process whereby additives are used to age the meat. Generally, those who have tested traditional "New York Deli" pastrami agree that it is similar, but not identical, to Montreal Smoked Meat. Both the dish and the word were brought to North America with the wave of Jewish immigration from Bessarabia and Romania in the second half of the 19th century; it is similar to roast brisket, a signature dish of the local Jewish cuisine of these regions. Smoked meat, also known as salt beef in London, is cured, spiced, and flavoured in ways similar to corned beef. Difference in meat cut and spicing mean that smoked meat's taste is different from either of these, and even varies among recipes.

[edit] Montreal

Along with bagels, smoked meat has been popular in Montreal since the nineteenth century, and has taken such strong root in that city that many Montrealers, and even many non-Montrealers, identify it as emblematic of the city's cuisine. Current and former residents and tourists make a point of visiting Montreal's best-known smoked meat establishments (Dunn's, Jarry Smoked Meat, Lester's, Abie's Smoked Meat, Chenoy's, the Main Deli, Schwartz's, the Snowdon Deli, and Stanley Diner; formerly Ben's Deli, a Montreal institution for 98 years which closed in late 2006), even taking whole briskets away as take-out. Despite the food's origins in, and association with, Montreal's Jewish community, and contrary to what is sometimes asserted, these delis are not certified as kosher.[citation needed]

Beyond the delis listed here, smoked meat, (French: "sandwich à la viande fumée" or "smoked-meat"[1]), is offered in many Montreal diners and fast food chains. Smoked meat has become popularized beyond its Jewish origins into the general population of Quebec, where smoked meat has been integrated into popular dishes, such as, for example, "smoked meat poutine."

Smoked meat can similarly be found across Canada, although proponents of Montreal's smoked meat claim that it cannot be obtained in its tastiest, or most authentic form, outside of Montreal. Given that a substantial proportion of Montreal's Ashkenazi Jewish community, in which Montreal's smoked meat has its origins, has left Montreal for other Canadian cities, the premise that Canada's other cities lack the cultural background to create good smoked meat appears dubious. Several restaurateurs have offered to franchise Schwartz's in cities across North America. Its owners, however, have always refused; but do deliver by mail-order.

[Jacques]

Best thing after french tourtiere, hope you know what tourtiere is!!!!!!!

[agrant]

In North America, outside of Montreal, "Montreal smoked meat" is referred to as pastrami which is derived from the Yiddish: פא סטראמע (pronounced pastrómeh). However, lovers of Montreal Smoked Meat vociferously argue that the consistency, flavoring, seasoning and color of Pastrami differs significantly from that of Smoked Meat. Montreal smoked meat comes in two flavors-"old fashioned" which is a process where the meat is naturally aged or cured and "regular" a process whereby additives are used to age the meat. Generally, those who have tested traditional "New York Deli" pastrami agree that it is similar, but not identical, to Montreal Smoked Meat. Both the dish and the word were brought to North America with the wave of Jewish immigration from Bessarabia and Romania in the second half of the 19th century; it is similar to roast brisket, a signature dish of the local Jewish cuisine of these regions. Smoked meat, also known as salt beef in London, is cured, spiced, and flavoured in ways similar to corned beef. Difference in meat cut and spicing mean that smoked meat's taste is different from either of these, and even varies among recipes.

[edit] Montreal

Along with bagels, smoked meat has been popular in Montreal since the nineteenth century, and has taken such strong root in that city that many Montrealers, and even many non-Montrealers, identify it as emblematic of the city's cuisine. Current and former residents and tourists make a point of visiting Montreal's best-known smoked meat establishments (Dunn's, Jarry Smoked Meat, Lester's, Abie's Smoked Meat, Chenoy's, the Main Deli, Schwartz's, the Snowdon Deli, and Stanley Diner; formerly Ben's Deli, a Montreal institution for 98 years which closed in late 2006), even taking whole briskets away as take-out. Despite the food's origins in, and association with, Montreal's Jewish community, and contrary to what is sometimes asserted, these delis are not certified as kosher.[citation needed]

Beyond the delis listed here, smoked meat, (French: "sandwich à la viande fumée" or "smoked-meat"[1]), is offered in many Montreal diners and fast food chains. Smoked meat has become popularized beyond its Jewish origins into the general population of Quebec, where smoked meat has been integrated into popular dishes, such as, for example, "smoked meat poutine."

Smoked meat can similarly be found across Canada, although proponents of Montreal's smoked meat claim that it cannot be obtained in its tastiest, or most authentic form, outside of Montreal. Given that a substantial proportion of Montreal's Ashkenazi Jewish community, in which Montreal's smoked meat has its origins, has left Montreal for other Canadian cities, the premise that Canada's other cities lack the cultural background to create good smoked meat appears dubious. Several restaurateurs have offered to franchise Schwartz's in cities across North America. Its owners, however, have always refused; but do deliver by mail-order.I might have preferred your own words as to what made Montreal smoked meat unique, but thanks for making the effort in cutting and pasting from Wiki. :D I've seen some sliced meat in delis here claiming it as Montreal Smoked Meat, but the Wiki info suggests it can't be done properly outside of Montreal. So how will I ever know? :( Sounds like how Guiness beer tastes totally different (better) in Ireland than it does over here.

[agrant]

Best thing after french tourtiere, hope you know what tourtiere is!!!!!!!I'm actually one of the few here that do, and have it every year around Christmas. Good stuff. :tup:

[Rusty Gull]

1. Tojo did not invent the California roll.
2. Vancouver is home to some very bad, but also some very good, sushi. Get to know your neighbourhood sushi chef -- and his credentials. (everyone on this forum needs to go to Hiroshi's at 23rd/Oak area for excellent -- and affordable -- sushi creations)
3. I agree with Kilgore Trout. Salmon is a fish. Yes, smoked salmon is a very good local delicacy, but it's still not a dish. The BC Roll includes smoked salmon, but unfortunately, it does not taste very good.
4. We have coffee culture, but Seattle is the coffee kingpin -- at least on this continent.
5. That brings us back to the Japa-dog. A true Vancouver dish.
6. Does anyone know where I can buy tourtiere in Vancouver? Mallairdville perhaps???

[Yume-sama]

I've never had a Japa-dog, I feel like I'm missing out. I *love* Japanese Hotdogs... but they don't really look like any of the hotdogs I've ever had in Japan.

I had no idea I was missing out so much, though, as I've been hearing a lot about them recently. Must check them out, soon.

[Rusty Gull]

Japa-dog is amazing. Highly recommended. Definitely a Vancouver original.

The guy is hard to find in the winter, though. He's a fixture in front of the Sutton during the spring/summer/fall. Usually a line-up too.

[Yume-sama]

What Japa-dog would give the *best* Japa-dog experience?
http://www.japadog.com/menu/index.html

[Holden West]

PNE Mini Donuts:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/138/400445154_2ca34522a2.jpg
http://flickr.com/photos/sam_mckay/400445154/
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/220676118_b96b46feb1.jpg
http://flickr.com/photos/dennissylvesterhurd/220676118/

[Rusty Gull]

Stick to the Japanese-style menu. I'm partial to the MisoMayo, but others like the Oroshi. It's all yummy.