Partridgeberries, Bakeapple and Local Flavors in Canada

So, we had a really fabulous trip with so many ice berg sightings, cities of ice out on the horizon and lots of local favorite foods in the restaurants.

The kids, some of whom have announced they are decidedly "pescatarian" not that any animals are served or eaten at our house, enjoyed lots of local seafood, especially cod, the mainstay of Newfoundlanders. Freshly caught the day it was served, the cod did seem like a very natural unpolluted fresh option. I still feel immensely sorry for the dead fish and do not want any involvement in it except to say it offers valuable omega-3 fats (I'd rather get them from seaweed like the fish do), and some protein.


More exciting to me were the local greens and berries. On a really good foraging hike we learned a lot about local greens, mushrooms and fruit. The partridge berries (also known as lingonberries) were delicious, tart and used mostly in muffins and pancakes. A distant relation to the cranberry, partridge berries are good for high blood pressure and provide a significant source of polyphenols. They have lots of trace minerals and are also a good source of vegetarian omega-3 fatty acids. But mostly, they were so tasty and the muffins at Java Jacks in Rocky Harbor were really the best I have ever had. I am not big on flour and baked goods but the proportion of berries to batter made these special.

Perry's very non-vegan snow crab breakfast dish with Newfoundland snow crab, a poached egg and beautiful breakfast salad was great. On several dishes, the Fogo Island Inn used a lot of pickled vegetables (including rhubarb) as an accompaniment that was especially savory, salty and tasty. They also had interesting local greens in every vegan dish that I ordered. And, we especially enjoyed the rhubarb sorbet and the very freshly baked bread there. And Chef Murray's tour of the kitchen was a nice bonus!

The other new food for us was bakeapple. Bakeapple is really a berry (from the cloudberry plant) and it grows along the ground. We found a bunch on various hikes and then noticed it was in desserts in all of the local restaurants. It has absolutely no relationship to an apple. We tried bakeapple sorbet and ice cream among other items. Bakeapple is one of those few foods that contain vitamin D for a nutritional boost.

Sea buckthorn ice cream at the Black Spruce was delicious, homemade from the plant growing right outside the restaurant. Sea buckthorn is rich in antioxidants, useful in cancer prevention and management, regulation of blood pressure and is used on burns and skin infections. Many tout it as a weight loss supplement but I think putting it in ice cream probably negates that one.

These vegetables from Acqua in St. John's, Newfoundland were fabulous, plentiful and fresh. We also had an Asian vegetable salad (well, duck salad without the duck) that was tasty.

Labrador tea grows so plentifully there, we picked endless amounts. It makes sort of a weak tea and tastes slightly citrus oriented, maybe even a little like cleaning fluid. The chef used it in my vegetable dish one of the nights and in a salad another. It was delicious in dishes and we made only one day's worth of the tea. I did bring some home so I can dry it out and use it.

Susannah enjoying a salad at Justin Thyme Bean & Bistro in Norris Point, Newfoundland. Really great offerings and the Justincredible Mussels dish with a mystery ingredient that I think I guessed without tasting a mussel. Justin made me a personal off-menu vegan Thai red curry with abundant vegetables that made my day.

So, in all, I have never eaten so much on a vacation but I hope the boost of antioxidants and the very freshness of everything, the air, the streams, the freshly foraged foods, the freshly cultivated foods will negate the reckless abandon with which we ate our way through Newfoundland.

For food in Newfoundland, I would whole heartedly recommend:
St. John's
Fixed Coffee and Baking
The Club (they made a fabulous cauliflower dish and sautéed mushrooms)
Acqua
Gros Morne Park Area
Justin Thyme Bean and Bistro
Java Jacks (muffins by Heather; great salads and soups)
The Black Spruce (at Neddie's Harbor Inn)
Fogo Island
Fogo Island Inn