Calgary

Calgary food is widely influenced by the North American cuisine. It also has traces of British, French, German, Ukrainian and Polish influences in its food. A large immigrant population particularly the Chinese and South Asians have contributed to the food culture of Calgary too. The Perogies and Cabbage Rolls of Ukrainian origin are specialties of the city as are the Scottish shortbreads that are baked in almost every household of Calgary.

Calgary offers a host of beef based dishes prepared from the superior quality beef found in the Alberta region. A number of steakhouses are seen in almost all areas of the city. The ethnic diversity of Calgary is as diverse as that of Toronto and many multi cuisine and ethnic eateries have sprung up in the city to cater to the cross section of people residing in the area. Sushi is one of most popular Asian foods that are offered by almost all restaurants of Calgary.

The Chinatown and Bridgeland have eateries serving authentic Chinese and Italian fare respectively and the local dish of Beef dip is included in every menu of Calgary.

History of Calgary Cuisine

Set up as a small fort town in 1875, the city of Calgary initially consisted of ranchers, army men and the local Indians. North American food was the usually fare in the 19^th century with rare steaks being immensely popular amongst the local cowboys. However, Calgary has now become one of the fastest growing cities of Canada and contains immigrants from almost every corner of the globe. Local food blended with exotic cuisine from Eastern lands has resulted in the Chinese and Indian recipes becoming available everywhere and the Italian, Ukrainian and German dishes have made their mark as Calgary food as well.

Caribbean joints, Hawaiian eateries and French restaurants from the nearby province of Quebec have also made their presence felt in the city of Calgary.

Popular Food Items of Calgary Cuisine

• Ginger Beef-Breaded and shredded beef served with a sweet sauce is one of the most popular Canadian dishes developed in Calgary.
• Beef Dip- Known as a special Calgary food thissandwich consists of thinly sliced roast beef served on French baguette or rolls.
• Bulgogi- a Korean BBQ dish cooked with the best quality Alberta beef.
• Kicking Horse coffee- Local Calgary coffee served at every restaurant of the city.
• The Caesar- A cocktail originally called the Bloody Caesar prepared from vodka and clam-tomato juice was first invented by a bartender of Calgary in 1969.

Places Famous For Food in Calgary

• Laurier Lounge-Recommended for its multi cuisine Calgary foodwhich consists of Thai, American, Cajun and Italian dishes.
• Ship & Anchor- Renowned for its English pub like food.
• Spolumbos- A modern eatery which serves authentic Italian food in Calgary.

Popular Chefs of Calgary Cuisine

Chef Connie DeSousa and Chef Rebekah Pearse will be a part of the ‘Top Chef Canada’ to be aired on Food Network, Canada. They are among the 16 chefs selected to appear in the show which will also showcase Calgary food