Winter in what we now call the Atlantic provinces has always been long, wet and cold. The food that the people who have lived here eat and have eaten historically often serves not only as a tool to survive, but as a method of bringing people together and finding comfort as the weather rages outside.

Food culture of Indigenous people such as the Mi’kmaq—who have called large parts of Eastern Canada home for thousands of years—includes the use and preservation of food and prey to be enjoyed throughout the year, especially in winter when hunting becomes more difficult. Utilizing the extensive coasts along Mi’kma’ki, seafood such as salmon was caught throughout the spring and smoked for long-term preservation. Inland, moose and caribou were much more common to find than they are today, as the species were overhunted by European colonizers and nearly declared extinct by the early 20th century. These gentle giants were hunted and their meat was dried to be consumed throughout the winter. Animals such as beavers, porcupines, and seabirds were also popular foods that could be hunted throughout the year. Berries were also dried in order to improve their shelf life. To learn more about Mi’kmaq food traditions and heritage, look into arts programs, local books, and more being shared by Mi’kmaq and Indigenous advocates/storytellers wherever you live.
As with every contemporary culture, Mi’kmaq food culture has evolved throughout the years. After Europeans arrived in the Americas in the late 16th century, different varieties of luskinikn or bannock, simple breads made with minimal ingredients, became a staple in many meals. Nowadays, Mi’kmaq foods are often a unique blend of tradition and innovation. While many traditional ingredients that were found in the wild are no longer accessible, foods and ingredients from all over the world are now being adapted into traditional recipes. “Mi’kmaq cuisine is mostly about philosophy and product utilization, more than having attachments to certain ingredients,” Mi’kmaq chef Geordy Marshall told Sea Nova Scotia in 2023, “one important part of that philosophy is sharing foods.” While individual recipes may have changed, the purpose they serve and the way they are enjoyed have not.
When early Acadian settlers were first dealing with the harsh winters of Atlantic Canada, as a way to raise morale, they founded the L’Ordre de Bon Temps (The Order of Good Cheer) in 1606, touted as the first social club in North America. Samuel de Champlain, one of the main founders of the order, wrote that the key to the club’s success was the sharing of good food, “which everyone found beneficial to his health, and more profitable than all sorts of medicine we might have used.” Many hunted birds and animals, which were roasted and served at the club’s meetings, including duck, geese, otter and wildcats.
During the later months of winter, the Acadians would begin the process of harvesting maple sugar by tapping and collecting the sap from maple trees, boiling it until it became maple syrup, which would then often be added to harvested local berries to sweeten them. Two traditional Acadian potato-based dishes, poutines râpées (made with pork, salt, and a mix of grated and mashed potatoes) and pâte à la râpure, or “rappie pie” (featuring chicken, pork, salt, pepper, onions, and grated and mashed potatoes), are still popular winter favorites in Atlantic Acadian communities.
Maurice Harlow, a 21-year-old farmer in North Brookfield NS, wrote in his diary about the food he ate at his grandparents’ house for Christmas dinner in 1880. The meal included beef, pork, beets, turnips, plum pudding, mince pies and “many other things.” In John McGregor’s book Historical and Descriptive Sketches of the Maritime Colonies of British America, written in 1898, he describes a market in Halifax, stating that root vegetables such as potatoes, cabbages, turnips and carrots were staples of the winter seasons, while fish was a mainstay in many people’s diets year round.
The traditional winter meals of Atlantic Canada are a testament to the rich heritage of the people who call it home and the way in which we can come together to bring warmth to each other throughout the cold winter months. When we eat these dishes today, we can continue to honour the spirit of all who braved the howling winds and icy rain before us. Whether it is a bowl of steaming Mi’kmaq eel stew, a delicious chunk of rappie pie, or some Christmas pudding, everything tastes best when it’s being enjoyed by the fire with our communities.