In Canada and the Atlantic Provinces there are people of many nationalities. Those whose forebears came years ago to begin a new life and start a new country or those who have come recently for some of the same reasons. With each group have come recipes which have been changed and adapted until they too, are Canadian.
No part of Canada is more famous for its hospitality than the Atlantic Coast. And, "down east" hospitality invariably includes an invitation to share a meal.
Together, the four Atlantic Provinces represent the cradle of our country. It was here that Britain and France established their first Canadian settlements. Those early settlers were a hardy lot, seafarers, farmers and lumbermen. Life for them was a constant struggle against the hostile elements of a new land and a love of good food and good companionship were among their few indulgances.
As a result, the foods traditional to the Atlantic Coast have a hardy character all of their own. Seafoods and potatoes are time honored staples throughout the Atlantic area but there are many surprising delicacies that represent the homelands of the early settlers, the British, the French Acadian, the German, the Dutch, and the United Empire Loyalists who came across the border at the time of the American Revolution.
