Newfoundland has always seemed like a far-off place for only the hardy. Now it's becoming a culinary destination because the food is as unique as the landscape.
By John Jacobs

Far from the madding crowd is Newfoundland, an east coast Canadian island with a story reaching back to ancient Paleo-Eskimos and roaming Vikings. There remains a certain aura embracing this large island that evokes an adventurous spirit in anyone who visits.

One of the truly unusual experiences is trying a variety of the unique, traditional recipes that use local ingredients. Each dish contains a touch of adventure to remind people that great countries and great cuisine are built because of the amazing adaptability and resourcefulness of people.

Even the names of the popular foods are a reminder that Newfoundland is unique in every way. There are foods like Figgy Duff, Jiggs Dinner, bakeapples, flipper pie, and so many other iconic foods and recipes found nowhere else in the world. Eating Newfoundland traditional recipes is for people ready for a serious break from standard fare.

Hardy Foods for Hardy People
Newfoundland is a large island with deep historical roots that continue to go deeper with each archeological discovery. Located in the Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian Province, it is a locale defined by its ruggedness and a Norse history, reminding us that there were ancient people who came before us who had to find ways to adapt in order to survive.

The Newfoundland traditional cuisine is like no other found around the world, and locals continue to preserve the remarkable recipes at home and in restaurants.

Newfoundland is a location where only the hardy live. The island was formed by tumultuous activity when tectonic plates collided, and its wild beautiful natural landscape does not let anyone forget they are really newcomers.

Newfoundland recipes are embedded in a history in which natives and explorers had to make do with what they could find. It has a cold climate, a sea-based food history and a cuisine based on resourcefulness. That resourcefulness produced interesting foods like Figgy Duff, a pudding made with molasses, ginger, allspice, flour, butter and sugar, and Jiggs Dinner made with salt beef, cabbage, and vegetables, a nod to the Irish settlers.

What's In a Name? Not What You Would Expect
The food in Newfoundland is also an interesting mix of recipes with names that do not necessarily reflect the main ingredients. Bakeapples are one example. Most people would assume the bakeapple is a baked apple. Surprise! It has no relation to an apple. It is called a cloudberry in most parts of the world. The bakeapple or cloudberry is a large edible orange raspberry-like berry with a peach-apricot-honey flavor and smells like apples when warmed in an oven. It is used in pies and jams, or served smothered in a thick cream.

The growing season is short in Newfoundland because of the cold climate, but late summer and early fall bring a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables. In the summer, there are cantaloupes, cranberries, grapes, melons, strawberries, partridgeberries, blueberries and watermelons plus many other imported fruits. They appear in dishes like corn salad with pineapple and apple and fruit tarts.

Not surprisingly given the climate and rocky terrain, hardy root vegetables are staple foods. They include potatoes, turnips, carrots and beets. Other vegetables are grown, too, including spinach, broccoli and cabbage.

The traditional seven-layer dinner consists mostly of vegetables that include potatoes, green peas, carrots, onions and green onions. Sausage and rice are the remaining ingredients for the seven layers. Baked in the oven, the seven-layer dinner is filling and will serve many people.

Call of the Wild: Seafood and Moose
Here is another surprise: cod tongues are not really tongues. They are fish filets cut from the cod's throat and fried.

Fish and seafood, especially cod, are centerpiece foods in Newfoundland. Seal flipper pie is a dish that has been served since at least the 16th century. Seafood chowder, lobster, smoked stuffed clams, scallops, blue mussels, fish cakes and other types of recipes are found in this remarkable locale. Dish 'n' brewis (pronounced brews) is boiled hard bread and boiled salt cod. The popularity of fish and seafood reflects a seafaring culture that has endured for thousands of years. The aboriginal Beothuks (now extinct, circa 150o or earlier) relied on fish for sustenance, and fish remained in the traditional diet of European settlers.

Yet, there are traditional meat dishes, too, like steaks and burgers made out of moose, which were introduced into the wild in the early 1900s. Meals may also include roast beef, chicken, ham, turkey and arctic hare.

Any discussion about Newfoundland food is remiss without mention of Figgy Duff. It's another name that could lead you to make the wrong assumption. It does not have any figs in it. It is a traditional boiled or steamed pudding consisting of sugar, butter, flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and “figs” that are actually raisins.

Toutons make a great breakfast food. It is fried bread dough that is often covered with molasses.

Fine Cuisine in the Far North
Though the countryside is rugged and the weather cool or cold most of the year, there are restaurants serving dishes that can only be described as unusual, delectable, and worthy of competing with the world's finest cuisine. Many of the fine dining restaurants are located in St. Johns, the capital of the Newfoundland and Labrador Province.

Think in terms of beaver served with au jus, raw scallops, seared duck breast with mint and partridgeberry chutney, and moose pasta. End a meal with blueberry sorbet or a traditional vanilla custard pudding. In this land where rugged meets stylish sophistication, you can order a Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. craft beer made with water from a 25,000-year-old glacier.

There is plenty to fall in love with in Newfoundland, and the traditional and iconic foods top the list for anyone looking for a culinary adventure.