Sandwiches of Canada
One thing that I have learned from my recent status as an online sandwich aficionado is that sandwiches are almost certainly one of the world’s most relatable foods. Everywhere, every culture, every country, every region, right down to almost every individual person in the world has their own special sandwich recipe that they choose to champion. Many, especially ones that have been adopted by a great number of individuals in a certain region, are able to make the great leap from obscurity into the accepted zeitgeist of international sandwich culture as representatives of their respective regions.
For its size, its spirit, its amalgamation of world cultures, and its hyper regionality, Canada has far too few of these representative sandwiches in the mainstream!
If you ask the average non-Canadian to name a distinctly Canadian sandwich, most would be hard pressed to come up with much beyond, possibly Montreal Smoked Meat, Halifax Donair, or Toronto Peameal Bacon.
If you ask the average Canadian, the answer is likely to be very much the same. Even we canucks – through either modesty, obliviousness, or subconscious inferiority complex from living next to the cultural behemoth of the good ol’ U S of A, – are just somehow unable to cheerlead our local favourites, as if we couldn’t possibly be as important as al those other well known sandwiches.
Our sandwiches are plenty important! And I’m here to document, share and tell you all about ‘em.
I’ve started collecting some recipes and I’ve put together playlists on YouTube and Tiktoks. These lists are constantly expanding, and there are a number that I have on my list and have yet to make myself.
Canada is a very big, and spread-out country, full of people and cultures from all over the world. There are a few metro areas concentrated together in pockets like southern Ontario, but odds are if you live in a Canadian city, the next closest Canadian city is going to be a very long drive away.
I’ll cut right to the chase, those of us in the international sandwich community need to talk more about Canadian sandwiches. And we Canadians in said community need to do what we can to highlight our national wonders.
What are the Sandwiches of Canada? Well there are many, but for the purpose of this list (which I will update and keep up over time) We’ll sort them by Province/Territory. If you know of a Sandwich I should include on my growing list of Canadian Sandwiches, please email me at thesandiwchdad@gmail.com and I will include it.
British Columbia:
In the past few years in which I have been trying to document the Sandwiches of Canada, I have found shockingly only a few examples of BC sandwiches. I mean, Nanaimo bars are almost a sandwich, but even I am not willing to stretch the definition that far.
Japadog:
Absolute classic Vancouver sandwich. As the name suggests, its more or less a Japanese hot dog – or at least a hot dog with Japanese toppings such as seaweed, bonito flakes, and Japanese mayo. Japadog started as a food cart in 2005 and expanded to a sit down restaurant in 2010.
Smoked Salmon Benny:
BC is famous for its salmon, and Vancouver/Victoria notoriously have great breakfast spots (brunch, you might say if you’re from Ontario) Pictured below is the 4:20 Benny from Floyds in Victoria.
Samsquanch:
This recipe came to me from a viewer in Norther BC around Ft Nelson. I love it and I want it to become more of a thing. It’s streak and Caesar salad on toasted garlic bread.
Alberta:
Alberta is the home of beef, but also a lot more. There have been whispers of unique green onion pancake sandwiches and and I’m still trying to figure out if there is a true Albertan steak sandwich recipe. I could absolutely use more Alberta sandwich recopies.
Kubie Burger:
Mundare Alberta, outside Edmonton is the undisputed home of the Kubie Burger. Kubie is short for Kubassa (or kielbasa), and this sandwich is made from a burger sized patty of this Ukrainian style sausage. It’s tricky to find the real thing outside a 2 hour radius of Edmonton, but they sometimes make it out here where I am in Saskatchewan. If you’re in Edmonton, try one at Uncle Ed’s Restaurant.
Famous Jamie:
From the Backstreet Pub in Lethbridge comes the Famous Jamie Sandwich. The bread is pizza. need I say more?
Saskatchewan:
I grew up in Saskatchewan, Saskatoon specifically, so maybe there will be a bias here.
Frajolaki:
The One True Saskatchewan Sandwich is the Frajolaki. You can find it on the menu of almost any Greek owned restaurant in the province. If it’s not on the menu, if you asked for it they’d probably make you one. It’s usually Chicken or Steak with a souvlaki style marinade with lots of lemon and oregano, topped with tomatoes and onions on a long roll. It’s almost like a Gyro on a bun, catered to the farmer’s palate.
Death By Cheese:
There is only one place to get the Death By Cheese Sandwich. the Park Cafe in Saskatoon. Often the server will come by and ask “how’s your death?” I love this sandwich and thin place. The video I’ve posted below went a bit viral on Tiktok. The last time I was in, Patrick one of the owners told me they were selling so many of these and then one day the phone rang and and asked if they would open on a Monday (they’re closed Mondays) to serve one to a former Prime Minister. The answer was no.
Bannock Burger
Bannock (or frybread) is an indigenous quick bread made all over Turtle Island, but Bannock sandwiches and burgers are definitely big in Saskatchewan. I’m sure there are other great spots, but the best one I’ve ever had was from Bannock Express on 22nd street in Saskatoon.
Manitoba:
It should be mentioned that the Guardian Newspaper named a Manitoba sandwich one of the best 9 sandwiches in the world. The cold cut Banh Mi from Winnipeg’s Khánh Hòa Fresh Meats and Delights
Fat Boy Burger:
One of many Canadian sandwiches invented by Greek restaurateurs. This Winnipeg staples is a typical burger (1-3 patties) served with chili inside.
Honey Dill Chicken
Kind of a new kid in town. The honey dill sauce was invented as a chicken finger dipping sauce at Mitzi’s Chicken Finger restaurant in Winnipeg Manitoba. The sauce has recently had a big boom in popularity outside Winnipeg and you can find the Greetalia brand in many grocery stores in western Canada these days. You can also make it yourself pretty easily. 3 parts mayo to 1 part honey and a buttload of dried and/or fresh dill. That’s it. The magic happens when you put it on a chicken sandwich. With bacon, pickles, lettuce and tomato. Boston Pizza even has a version of it now, so it finally starting to catch on.
Fried Walleye
Also known as pickerel, Walleye is probably the most popular lake fish anywhere in the Canadian shield. It’s a mild flakey whitfish, and a fun fish to catch. Usually battered in cornflakes or something similar, and put into a sandiwch with something dill related, be it pickles of honey dill sauce. I tend to get my commercial Walleye from Flin Flon Manitoba. A town whose name is taken from the lead character Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin in a 1905 paperback novel, The Sunless City by J. E. Preston Muddock.
Ontario:
Canada’s most populous province has a fairly Toronto centric list. I’ve got a few other’s potentially on the list such as Kitchener Schnitzel and London’s Wally Burger, but I’ve been unable to find much on their continued existence. If you have some other great Ontario Sandwiches please let me know.
Peameal Bacon
This is the Hogtown special. Toronto was once a big pork town and where Canadian Bacon was born. No not that perfect circular crap they sell in the states – the real stuff the peameal (usual cornmeal these days) crusted, cured pork loin. If’ you’re never had real Toronto peameal bacon, it just really isn’t the same anywhere else. If available all over Canada in various qualities, but only in southern Ontario is the real stuff an option on every breakfast menu. For the sandwich, St Lawrence market is the place to be. Just Peameal and cheese on a bun. Add an egg if you’re extra hungry.
Ceaseroni
Invented at Vilda’s in Toronto, This is more or less a French bread pepperoni pizza with a caeser salad in the middle. It’s incredible and you shoudl try it.
Hot Veal
Once almost a secret sandwich of the 6, there are now a bunch of places to get this sandwich in Toronto, and the OG (California Sandwiches) is pretty much a local chain restaurant now. Its an enormous breaded cutlet with cheese and a spicy tomato sauce. Its spectacular and under appreciated outside of the big smoke.
Indian Taco:
Sometimes called Navajo Taco, Fry bread Taco, Bannock Taco, PowWow Taco. This is actually something found in indigenous communities and events around Turtle island (North America), and is in fact the state sandwich on South Dakota. That said, the ones from PowWow Cafe in Kensington Market in Toronto (now closed, unfortunately but they still do pop-ups around Ontario) were out of this world.
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Patty on a Bun
I love a Jamaican beef patty, and I woudl have never thought to put on in a bun. But A1 doughnuts in Mississauga thought of it.
Sudbury Porketta
Believe it or not, Sudbury has it’s own specialty porketta sandwich! They spell it a bit different and I haven’t managed to try one yet, but one of these days soon…. Also if anyone wants to mail me some Sudbury porketta along with a recipe I’d be very grateful
Quebec:
There’s no Canada like French Canada. Quebec has been doing a lot of heavy lifting in keeping Canadian culinary pursuits on the map. Poutine and Maple Syrup are all well and good, but their sandwich game is also top tier in the country. The French love food and so I love the French.
Montreal Smoked Meat
The stand by. What is Montreal smoked meat? Isn’t it just pastrami? Isn’t it just corned beef? No. but also… kind of. Montreal’s Swartz’s isn’t all that different from Katz’s is has a few more letters and a few less seats, and there’s always a line up. That and their Montreal smoked meat is usually done with whole brisket as opposed to just the navel plate cut usually used for pastrami. Also the spices are different. Montreal smoked meat is less sugar, more garlic, a bit of mustard. Montreal is usually a little less time in the smoker followed by a 3 steam where as pastrami is often longer smoked and then boiled.
Either way it’s fantastic, and if you haven’t had the real thing before i highly recommend a visit. Also, if you don’t want to wait in line at Schwartz’s (which is majority owned by Celine Dion by the way!) – there’s also Smoked Meat Pete and Snowdon.
Guédille
The guédille was created, probably somewhere along the gaspe, and was originally the French Canadian version of the lobster roll. It eventually evolved to be any seafood salad, to and chicken salad, right down to a version i had that was just coleslaw in a hot dog bun (guédille aux choux). Sometimes also referred to as a goudille (typically around sorel/grande ilse) the recipes vary wildly by region, but the word is actually slang for a booger which i’ve bene told is because as the may soaks into the bun there is a textural element that resembles….you know what, I’m gonna stop here.
Wilensky Special
An institution in Montreal’s Mile End. Even featured the the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. visited by every travelling chef that ever there was. This sandwich is beef salami, beef bologna and mustard, pressed and sometimes with cheese. Sitting at the Wilensky’s counter and having a couple of these with an old time soda fountain cherry cola is something every sandwich lover the world over shoudl have on their bucket list.
https://youtu.be/aXrCuaY0rNg?si=SslVz5miZi3NYa2q
Gillades de Valleyfield
Grillades are uncured pork belly slices, seasoned with local proprietary spice blends and then put on the grill. Fairly specific to the area around Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, there is an annual gillades festival around St Zotique that I attended this past summer. I had the best time.
https://youtu.be/D4x69je2D38?si=kNNp4A0sjXFxs0fd
Pain Sandwich
Still a holiday staple around Quebec, this cream cheese frosted sandwich cake is a combination of chicken, egg, and ham salad all in one. “Pain” of course means bread in French, so this translates to “Sandwich Bread”. Though eating more than 1 slice of this will absolutely result in the English version of “pain” as well.
https://youtu.be/aXrCuaY0rNg?si=Cznz_3rIfiel1wZW
Hot Chicken:
Same name, but possibly the opposite of Nashville Hot Chicken. Quebec hot chicken is a cozy staple that gets is hotness from the temperature of the gravy poured over the whole sandwich. It also has peas on top.
https://youtu.be/_TeftnP9Mnc?si=PgrxH2LuL92inc3f
New Brunswick:
I feel a little bad that the only New Brunswick specific sandwiches I have on this list are odd ball funeral sandwiches, but i’ve you’ve ever hung out in NB, I think you might agree it fits. I’ve also heard about a Joe Bourque sandwich which I believe was a breakfast-y sandwich with mustard, and possibly a mustard sardine sandwich of some kind – If you have confirmation of these or others, please let me know.
Cherry Sandwich
I found out about this east coast funeral delicacy from a New Brunswick sandwich fan, and I managed to find a recipe online at East Coast Living magazine. Unfortunately I did such a bad job making in the video below that they seem to have removed their website from the internet completely, but i did gain a lot of New Brunswick followers and got a shout out from Canada.gov.ca.
Its maraschino cherries and cream cheese (sometimes Cheez Whiz!) on rolled up bread, cut into circles and typically served in church basements at funerals, weddings, and etc. It’s pretty good!
Lime Jello Tuna
I found out about this sandwich through the comments after posting about the cherry sandwich. Another funeral/church basement sandwich, cut into fun shapes and its basically a tuna salad that incorporates lime jello. I did the video below for my guest host spot on Sandwiches of History when host/my good pal Barry was on vacation last year.
https://youtu.be/teZ7YAHT9Tk?si=nvev_wq65cP8Smia
PEI:
Potatoes, Lobster and Anne of Green Gables. Also the film “Who’s Yer Father?“and “Pogey Beach”, which were great.
Lobster roll
A Prince Edward Island Lobster Roll is different from a Maine, or Connecticut, or anywhere else lobster roll. Especially in the recipe I used in the video below which was given to me by PEI/PEC Chef Charlotte Langley.
Nova Scotia
Late night sandwiches currently dominate the my list of Nova Scotia delicacies.
Donair
Not to be confused with Donner or Doner Kebab. East Coast Donair came to be when a Greek immigrant in Halifax was having trouble selling gyros, so they decided to create a new recipe to appeal to local tastes. Those local tastes included the invention of Donair Dauce. A mix of condensed milk, vinegar and garlic power. Poured that over seasoned beef from a rotating spit with onions and tomatoes, and placed on to a pita. A staple of late nights in Halifax and all over the east since the 70’s.
Recently Donair has even evolved its own prairie sub-species, sometimes known and Edmonton Donair. As East coast Canadians came west to work the oil patch, they brought with them the favourite sandwich, although there is some controversy that includes adding lettuce, and other veggies, wrapping it up tightly and a slightly different sauce.
https://youtu.be/cqhDB-u2xzQ?si=uX-3MFy8EyFR-t93
Pizza Burger
This is Cape Breton Comfort Food. You Pick up a few of these on the way home from the bar, and you make sure you buy one for the cab driver, you heat it up in the microwave until it is the temperature of the sun, and you enjoy life to the fullest. I’ve heard from many a caper working out west that it’s one of the things they miss the most.
https://youtu.be/HYQJ9BU0QT4?si=AsCGC3QWnsGzUdDx
Hero Sub
Another Cape Breton classic so I’m told – I will get to it soon.
It’s a sub with peperoni, ham, salami, donair meat, donair sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and mozzarella.
Newfoundland and Labrador:
I know there must be a few other great newfoundland sandwiches out there. Maybe something with cod, or cod cakes….
Newfie Steak
Lots of places claim a nice thick fried bologna sandwich as their own, but Newfoundlanders take it to another level. Newfoundlanders celebrate bologna. The Maple Leaf Big Stick might be the official mascot of the rock.
https://youtu.be/QdhPldDr_bs?si=Xh9mHYucreJ5gAq4
Turkey and Dressing
Not to be confused with the hot chicken, not is newfoundland savory dressing to be confused with stuffing. this is it’s own thing.
Yukon:
Though I’m from Saskatchewan, I spent about 18 year living in the Yukon. Mostly in Dawson City, and the last four years in Whitehorse. The food scene up there is pretty incredible. a lot of DIY passionate people doing incredible things with locally sourced foods in a very remote location. That said when i think of sandwiches of note, I think of Smoke and Sow, of The Deli, of Tum Tums meats, of Bonton Boucherie, of Wayfarer, of Cheechakos Bakery, and of Bonanza market and an honorable mention to the Riverwest eggtube. However the only individual sandwich that I believe is an institution in the Yukon is:
Triple J’s Buffalo Crispy Chicken Burger
It’s a giant homemade breaded chicken cutlet. There is an option to have it tossed in buffalo sauce, which is the correct move. It’s been a staple sandwich in Dawson City for at least the last 10 years now. When the restaurant closes down in the winter, people specifically go back on opening day in the spring to have this sandwich. I recommend you order it with a poutine.
Northwest Territories
I do not have any sandwiches on my list from NWT as of yet. Please let me know if there are any you recommend. I would imagine there are so great fish sandwiches in Yellowknife, but sadly i have never been.
Nunavut
I also do not yet have any local sandwiches that represent Nunavut, however, I recently found out that prairie gas station staple Hygaard subs are fairly big up there so I am going to include that.
Hygaard Subs
I was given an enormous box of every sandwich in the Hygaard line by my new friend Steve who has been the distributer in Saskatchewan for years. They started in Edmonton in the 70’s and were the first in Canada to utilize a new packaging technology to keep things fresh for long period of time. The process unfortunately doesn’t work for veggies which is why the sandwiches are all meat and cheese based. If you’re ever in Nunavut (so I’m told), or if you stop at a small town gas station on the prairies, odds are you will encounter a Hygaard. I recommend the pizza sub.
