30+ Canada Day Recipes | Maple + Mango (2025)

FAQs

What food do Canadians eat on Canada Day? ›

Some popular Canadian dishes include: poutine, Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, bannock, tourtiere, Montreal smoked meat, Caesar cocktail, peameal bacon sandwiches (aka Canadian bacon), Saskatoon berry pie, Halifax donair, maple taffy (or anything maple syrup!) and so much more!

Canadian Cuisine Delights

Opt for delicious dishes that can be grilled on your barbecue, such as Wine & Dine Smash Burgers, Grilled Ribeye Steaks, or a Barbecue Charcuterie Board. Don't forget to include classic Canadian sides like poutine, butter tarts, and Nanaimo bars to add an authentic touch to your feast.

Activities. Most communities across the country host organized celebrations for Canada Day, typically outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts, as well as citizenship ceremonies.

Foods such as bannock, moose, deer, bison, pemmican, maple taffy, and Métis stews, such as barley stew, are all either traditional Indigenous foods, or originate from Canada with roots in Indigenous cuisines, and are eaten throughout the country.

Support and Honor Indigenous Children by Wearing Orange:

The color orange represents the “Every Child Matters” movement, which was put into place to honor the countless Indigenous children whose lives were taken from them through the Residential School system.

Canada day is an easy theme to dress up to: all you need are the classic red and white colours, and a Canadian flag!

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

Canadians tend to be very patriotic and showcase this national pride through red and white attire on Canada Day. Anything that displays the Canadian flag is a welcome addition to a Canada Day outfit.

Host a Canada Day party or barbecue.

Decorate your home with Canadian themed party supplies, such as red and white streamers or red maple leafs. Ask everyone to wear their favorite Canada-inspired outfits, and offer Canadian themed drinks and food.

1879: A federal law makes July 1 a statutory holiday as the "anniversary of Confederation," which is later called "Dominion Day." October 27, 1982: July 1, "Dominion Day" officially becomes Canada Day.

What is the main meal of the day in Canada? ›

In the English-speaking parts: breakfast, lunch and supper. Dinner is the main meal of the day and in most parts of Canada is supper, when a hot, multi-course meal is served. In some places, particularly Quebec, dinner is served at lunch time.

Bannock. We can't talk about Canadian traditional food without mentioning the bannock. A flatbread made with flour, water and fat, you will now find variations that use milk, salt and sugar. This delicious bread comes either baked, producing a dense bread, or a lighter, fluffier version that is fried.

A “Western” base

The Canadian diet is essentially made up of three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The traditional breakfast is a complete and rich meal. It consists of eggs, sausages or pork bacon, cooked potatoes, toast, pancakes or French toast with maple syrup, cereals or oatmeal.