Oral histories preserving Canadian food traditions through the voices of cooks, chefs, farmers, and food historians.
"My great-grandfather tapped these same maple trees in 1910. Back then, we used buckets and horses. Now we have tubing systems, but the evaporator—that's still wood-fired, just like he did it. The flavor, you can't get that with modern equipment. Every spring, the whole family comes. My grandchildren help collect sap, just like I did. It's not just syrup we're making—it's memory."
Location: Beauce Region, Quebec
Tradition: Family sugar shack operation since 1910
"Been pulling traps since I was six years old, going out with my father. That was 60 years ago. The regulations are stricter now—that's good, keeps the population healthy. But the methods, the work, that hasn't changed much. You're out there at 4 AM in November, cold spray freezing on the boat. But when you pull a trap full of lobster, knowing families will gather around tables eating them—that makes it worthwhile."
Location: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Heritage: Five generations of lobster fishing
"My baba taught me to make perogies when I was eight. She came from Ukraine in 1928, carrying her recipes in her head—no written instructions. Sunday morning, we'd start at 6 AM. Make the dough, roll it thin, fill with potato and cheese, pinch the edges just so. By noon, we'd have 300 perogies frozen for the month. Now I teach my granddaughter. The recipe evolved—we use Canadian cheddar now instead of farmer's cheese—but the tradition continues."
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Tradition: Weekly perogy-making since 1928
"My grandfather harvested wild rice from these lakes. Then we were told to stop, for decades. Now we're reclaiming those practices, teaching young people how to harvest respectfully, how to process rice traditionally. It's not just food—it's connection to land, to ancestors, to identity. When my grandson eats wild rice he harvested himself, he understands who he is and where he comes from."
Location: Treaty 3 Territory, Ontario
Mission: Revitalizing traditional food practices
"We fire these ovens with hardwood—maple, oak—just like they did in 1919 when this bakery opened. The temperature, the char, the honey-sweetened dough—you can't replicate it with gas or electric. People come from around the world for these bagels. Sometimes I'm here at midnight, pulling bagels from 800-degree ovens. My father did this. His father before him. It's a privilege maintaining this tradition."
Location: Mile End, Montreal
Heritage: Family-run since 1919, wood-fired ovens
"My parents immigrated from Hong Kong in 1975, ran a fruit stand in Richmond. I studied viticulture, bought land in the Okanagan. People said I was crazy—Asian woman making wine in BC? But this valley produces exceptional fruit, and I knew it could make exceptional wine. Twenty years later, we're winning international awards. I blend my parents' work ethic with European techniques and Indigenous land respect. That's Canadian wine."
Location: Okanagan Valley, BC
Achievement: Award-winning family winery
"This ranch has been in our family since 1892. Great-great-grandfather drove cattle here from Montana. We raise Angus—the climate, the grass, the water creates beef you can't replicate elsewhere. People don't understand how much work goes into a steak. Calving season, you're up every two hours checking cows. But when someone tells you they had the best steak of their life and it was Alberta beef—that's pride."
Location: Southern Alberta
Heritage: Five-generation cattle ranch, 1892-present
"People find it strange, but cod tongues and cheeks are delicacies here. My mother taught me to prepare them properly—trimming, battering, frying until golden. After the moratorium, we thought we'd lost this tradition. But the cod are coming back slowly, and we're teaching the young ones again. It's part of who we are—people of the sea, making use of every part of the catch."
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland
Tradition: Traditional cod preparation, pre-moratorium recipes
"I've had this stall since 1978—my father before me since 1952. Selling tomatoes, peppers, eggplants—produce my family grows. I've watched Toronto change. Used to be just Italian, Portuguese, Chinese vendors. Now we have every cuisine on Earth. But the market remains the heart. Chefs shop here. Grandmothers shop here. Everyone comes together over food."
Location: St. Lawrence Market, Toronto
Heritage: Family market stall since 1952
Oral histories preserve knowledge that written recipes cannot capture—the feel of properly kneaded dough, the sound of syrup reaching the right temperature, the smell indicating bread has finished baking. These stories connect generations, maintain cultural identity, and ensure traditional knowledge survives.
Food stories also document change—how recipes adapt to new ingredients, how traditions evolve with technology, how immigrant communities blend old and new. They reveal resilience, creativity, and the central role food plays in Canadian identity.