To celebrate Food Day Canada [1], we're shining a light on Canadian cuisine. We asked experts in the Ontario Agricultural College, "What does food mean to you?" and to share some of their favourite recipes that highlight local ingredients that can be grown in Canada or found at a farmers' market.
Food Day Canada is a great opportunity to enjoy food, make food, and learn about food. Check out our featured experts and ingredients below.
Ontario Blueberries
Recipe recommendation: Two-Crust Blueberry Pie [2]
Dr. Cheryl Trueman [3] is a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the Ridgetown Campus. Her research focus is to help growers improve yield through integrated pest management on field vegetables in Ontario including tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, cabbage, broccoli, peppers, sugarbeets, snap beans, potatoes, and sweet corn. She recommends her favourite blueberry pie recipe. Check out the Two-Crust Blueberry Pie Recipe here. [2]
What does food mean to you?
"If I were to pick only one word to answer this question it would be family. I remember planting and shelling peas and digging for potatoes in the family vegetable garden with my mom and grandad from a very young age. I hated peas when I was a kid, but I liked sitting together with parents or siblings and shelling peas. As I got older, I was often in charge of feeding calves and heifers on our family dairy farm. Better protecting food from waste, in the form of management of diseases and insects of plants, is now a central part of my career. In adulthood, I also reflect on the power of food to sustain life when it is abundant, but also to disrupt and destroy lives when it is inaccessible or produced in an unsustainable way." - Dr. Cheryl Trueman
Ontario Duck
Recipe recommendation: Honey Cured Duck Carpaccio [4]
Derek Vella [5] is the director of the Guelph Food Innovation Centre [6] (GFIC) in the Department of Food Science. The GFIC offers research services to the food industry that are crucial in driving safety, quality, functionality, and cost-effectiveness needed for products to be competitive in today's marketplace. He recommends his favourite duck recipe. Check out the Honey Cured Duck Carpaccio here. [4]
What does food mean to you?
"I have spent my entire life working with food in one capacity or another so it has a taken on a lot of meanings in that time. Food is certainly about pleasure; tastes and textures, family and friends - discovering new things. Food, for me is also very much about connections. It connects us to our own identities and introduces us to others, but most interestingly for me is the idea that every dish tells a story about all the people, places, and events that shaped it over time. I find those connections to be endlessly fascinating and inspiring." - Derek Vella
U of G Yukon Gold Potatoes
Recipe recommendation: Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes [7]
Fun fact: In 1966, the Yukon Gold potato was developed by Gary Johnston at U of G. It reached Canadian growers in 1981 and is known for it's smooth skin, pink eyes, deep yellow flesh, and rich taste.
Dr. Karen Landman [8] is a professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. A part of her research examines the relationship between community food hubs and improved quality of life for urban neighbourhoods. She recommends this simple, yet delicious mashed potato recipe. Check out the Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes recipe here. [7]
What does food mean to you?
"Food means nutrition, sustenance, fuel, sensory pleasures, celebration, culture, fun, creativity, sharing, community, conversation, gardening, seasonality, and connections. My parents immigrated from the Netherlands after WWII. My father loved potatoes and was excited when Yukon Gold came on the market. It became the only potato variety in his garden. I think of him every time I prepare them." - Dr. Karen Landman
Ontario Sweet Corn
Recipe recommendation: Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup [9]
Fun fact: U of G researchers recently discovered corn silks naturally contain diverse microbes [10] which may help improve breeding and farming practices to avert costly and harmful fungal outbreaks, protect one of the world’s three most important food crops and increase food security globally.
Dr. Maria Corradini [11] is a professor in the Department of Food Science. Maria's research focuses on the development of novel techniques to study foods, their biophysical behavior, and stability. One of the goals of her research is to improve food accessibility and sustainability through a decrease in food waste and optimization of food distribution. She recommends a favourite soup that her partner prepares when she is “chipi” (colloquial Spanish in Mexico for under the weather). This roasted poblano pepper and corn soup is simple to prepare and instantly conveys that someone cares for you. Check out the Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup recipe here. [9]
What does food mean to you?
"Food for me has a double and equally important meaning. On a personal level, food is a way to keep memories and people close to me. The right food instantly can become a passage to home, people I love, and a channel to know people better. It has the power to transport me back to my home country every time that I prepare one of my grandma or my mom’s recipes. But it also allows me to understand better my friends and other cultures by tasting dishes engrained in their traditions or memories and sharing the stories that come with them,"
"At the professional level, as a food scientist, I enjoy peeling off the mysteries that food components and the way they are assembled play a role in spoilage, quality, and safety. Finding how these components can become sensors or protect important food properties is fascinating, has the potential to improve our food supply, and is fun since many of these natural components even glow in the dark." - Dr. Maria Corradini
Ontario Broccoli
Recipe recommendation: Broccoli Salad [12]
Dr. Laura Van Eerd [13] is a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences and an executive team member for Soils at Guelph [14]. Her primary research focus is sustainable soil management. Her research focuses on soil fertility, and the use of crop rotations and cover crops in vegetable crop production systems. She recommends her favourite broccoli recipe. Check out the Broccoli Salad recipe here. [12]
What does food mean to you?
"Food is life and most food in Canada begins with the soil. Soil is the foundation of Canadian agriculture and key to our Canadian food system. We are fortunate to have Soils at Guelph that showcases our U of G professors, who are world leaders in soil science and sustainable agriculture." - Dr. Laura Van Eerd