Canada is the second largest country in the world, but it is also one of the least populated. Its nature is very beautiful – there are 42 national parks, thousands of lakes, which are more than half of the lakes in the world and the cleanest water. Canada has over 200,000 km of coastline. This means that if you start from one end and walk 20 km a day, it will take you about 33 years to reach the other. 😮
Nature keeping is a priority for Canadians and many national parks have been built for this purpose. The largest protected areas are Banff National Park – the oldest in Canada. It is located west of the city of Calgary, Alberta. Here is everything you can dream of as a mountain landscape – coniferous forests, ice fields and glaciers. Banff’s main pride is the three mountain lakes, Moraine, Louise and Peito. Moraine is considered one of the most beautiful lakes on the planet. Due to the special structure of the bottom and the water that comes from the glacier is characterized by a dark blue color. Lake Louise attracts tourists with many paths immersed in vegetation where you can walk, as well as a number of waterfalls. Finally, Peyto, differing in milky blue color due to stone suspensions in the water. Banff’s fauna is quite diverse. A total of about 56 species of mammals live here – grizzly bears, black bears, lynxes, wolves, etc. In addition, there are over 200 species of birds and a small number of amphibians in the protected area. The most interesting thing is that many representatives of the fauna can be seen live. Another wonder of Banff are the springs. Thanks to them, the national park was created. Hot water with a sharp taste gushes from them. Even the ancient Indians considered these sources of sulfur to be medicinal: they have a rich chemical composition: hydrogen sulfide, magnesium, sodium, calcium and bicarbonate. To the north is another beautiful park – Jasper National Park, the largest in Canada. It includes part of the Rocky Mountains to the west, glaciers, lakes, beautiful waterfalls and hot springs. Although a protected area, Jasper Park offers tourists rafting, fishing, skiing, camping services and other recreational activities. This vast area includes Pyramid mountain, Tonquin Valley, Maligne Lake, Medicine Lake and others. Pacific Rim National Park is located in southwestern Canada and is characterized by rugged terrain and coniferous forests. The park is open to tourists from mid-March to late October. It is very popular because of its proximity to Vancouver.
Canada is one of the richest countries in the world. And it is not surprising that it is one of the best countries to live. On several occasions, he even received the title of “best country to live in” according to the UN. The good thing is that there is a high income, a low crime rate, and the people are very friendly. Also, the most advanced health system in the world is there, and health care is free.
The prototype of the beloved Winnie the Pooh is Winnipeg, a Canadian black bear brought to the London Zoo in 1915, and the Canadian Post receives millions of letters each year to Santa Claus, the North Pole. 🙂 Fairyland. 🙂
Canadian cuisine is very diverse, as the country is home to many people from around the world. Each nation brings something of its own to Canada’s national cuisine, although maple syrup is loved by all. It is used for many dishes such as: pies, pancakes, muffins and pastries, as well as all kinds of meat. The basis of Canadian cuisine is meat dishes – chicken, bear, deer, rabbit and moose are used: they are used to make stews, steaks, roast meat. As for appetizers, they are represented by boiled pork, pate, smoked herring, cheese, seafood. Popular Canadian foods are cauliflower and tomato soup, Quebec meat pie, rabbit stewed with vegetables, ham in maple syrup, oysters sprinkled with grated potatoes.
Although the dishes are borrowed from foreign cuisine, some of them have become emblematic of Canada. A great example of this is the Putin specialty, invented in 1950. Quebecers have even tried to patent the typical Canadian dish. On the other hand, there is sushi pizza, which, although a mixture of Japanese and Italian cuisine, Canada is claiming the rights to the dish and it is now an integral part of most Toronto menus. Putin is the most ordinary french fries, generously soaked in gravy and melted cheese. The Canadian dish, in addition to national pride, is already part of the menu of many gourmet restaurants. Of course, there are many versions for him, including with lobster, liver, etc.
In the ranking of the most disgusting traditional drinks there is also one from Canada – “Seagull Wine”. The Eskimos prepare it by placing a dead seagull in a bowl of water and leaving it in the sun for a few days. Europeans who have tasted this wine say the following: “If you open the carburetor of Toyota and drink the liquid you find inside, you can get an idea of what this drink tastes like.” The only “plus” of this wine is that you do not need to drink a lot of it to get drunk. But if you overdo it, the hangover is deadly. I don’t know if I’m capable of trying this drink. Rather not.
Butter cakes are part of Canada’s culinary traditions. Delicious desserts are prepared according to a classic Canadian recipe throughout the country. It includes butter, sugar, maple syrup, eggs, and in some cases raisins or nuts. The appetizing tarts are baked and then covered with a thick cream. Although quite high in calories, Canadian dessert is a real delight for the palate. For you I choose a cake that is prepared with a fairly large amount of maple syrup. 🙂 What a surprise! 😀 The cake is called “Creamy maple nut cake”, and here are the necessary products for it:
for cake bases:
125 grams of oil at room temperature
1 1/4 tea cup sugar (white or brown)
2 eggs
2 tea cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
vanilla
250 ml of fresh milk
for cream and decoration:
225 grams of cream cheese
250 ml of maple syrup
60 grams of pecan nuts (I missed)
Steps of preparation:
Beat the butter and sugar into a fluffy cream. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one until smooth. Mix the dry ingredients. Start adding the milk and the dry mixture, pouring in portions and alternating. Finish with the flour mixture. Cover a 20 cm diameter tray with baking paper and pour half of the mixture.
Bake at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until done. Allow the cake bases to cool completely. Divide each one in two. I didn’t do it because my tray was larger in diameter and the countertops didn’t get thick enough to separate well.
Make the cream by starting to whip the cream cheese and so on for 5 minutes. Then add half the maple syrup and beat on low speed until smooth.
It’s time to assemble the cake. Place the first cake base and syrup with maple syrup. Half of what is left after you make the cream is used to syrup the cake base. Alternate bread and cream.
Finally, you can cover the side of the cake with chopped pecans. I decided to miss them this time. But I guess it will taste good with them.
The cake tastes great. Definitely maple syrup gives a very Canadian flavor to the dessert. It is juicy and rich butter taste. And contrary to expectations, it is not very sweet, but perfectly balanced because of the cream cheese. Definitely lately I make cakes with a similar technique of preparing the tops and I plan to change the technique a bit in the next one. I will break the eggs and sugar and add the melted and cooled butter, because breaking butter with a lot of sugar is time consuming and does not always lead to the best result. Sometimes the cake bases do not become airy enough and not so light. I will share when I try. 🙂 So – I recommend you try this cake. It is not complicated to prepare, its ingredients are easy to find and do not take time to make. You will not regret. By the way, I’m trying maple syrup for the first time and I really liked it. I think it is useful to have a bottle at home to sweeten desserts, and why not tea. I would definitely try a recipe with meat and maple syrup. 😉
Next destination – Qatar.
