FOOD NEWS
Canada Invented These Popular Foods And Drinks
BY Gina Zammit
Hawaiian Pizza
Hawaiian pizza was invented in 1962 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada by Greek-born diner owner Sam Panopoulos. The name comes from the brand of canned pineapples he used.
Adding pineapple chunks atop a pizza was a no-brainer for him, as canned pineapples and the sweet and salty flavors of Westernized Chinese cuisine were both popular at the time.
Peanut Butter
While peanut butter traces back to Ancient Incas and the Aztecs, druggist Marcellus Gilmore Edson from Montreal was the first to patent a peanut paste recipe in 1884.
Other inventors and scientists would later perfect the paste into the creamy butter we all enjoy today. Today, the most popular peanut butter brand in Canada is Kraft.
Canada Dry
Canada Dry ginger ale was invented in 1904 by Toronto-based sparkling water plant owner John McLaughlin, who made it less sweet than the original Irish ginger ale recipe.
Known as the "champagne of soda," Canada Dry helped mask the harsh taste of illegally manufactured liquor during Prohibition, which popularized it all across North America.
Beavertails
In 1980, Grant and Pam Hooker turned their beloved family recipe into a business and opened a stand in the historic Byward Market culinary district in Ottawa, Ontario.
Named for their flat, tail-like shape, Beavertails are deep-fried dough topped with cinnamon and sugar, with a squeeze of lemon juice added to the top right before eating.
Instant Mashed Potatoes
While there were earlier versions of dehydrated potatoes, instant mashed potatoes were invented by Canadian food chemist Edward Anton Maria Asselbergs.
Instead of using flakes and granules like older versions, Asselbergs had potatoes prepared into "crystal-like particles" that broke down to a smoother finish in hot water or milk.