Certain foods are named for the places they come from, but many foods acquire place-based names for quite different reasons. This episode peels back the layers of that oh-so-Canadian treat, the Nanaimo Bar. Lenore Newman fills us in on his history and heritage, while also commenting on the quasi-luxury that the dessert represented in past, and maybe still does. Sandwiching this exploration, Alexia Moyer tells us about the iconic French pastry, the Paris-Brest, and Julia Mitchell responds to Lenore’s article, “Notes from the Nanaimo Bar Trail.”

Guests:

Alexia Moyer is co-Managing Editor of Canadian Food Studies and a founding member of the editorial collective, red line-ligne rouge, based in Montreal.

Lenore Newman is a professor in the department of Planning, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley, as well as Director of its Food and Agriculture Institute.

Julia Mitchell is a master student in arts and communication at Carleton University, exploring the use of French terminology on English-language menus.

Mentioned in this episode:

- Speaking in Cod Tongues by Lenore Newman

- La Poutine by Geneviève Sicotte

- Paris-Brest (pastry)

- “But is it Authentic?” by Lisa Heldke

Credits:

Host/Producer: David Szanto

Executive Producers: Rachel Engler-Stringer, Laurence Godin, Charles Levkoe, Phil Loring, Kristen Lowitt

Audio consultant: Zélie Scherrer

Music: Alex Guz and Evgeny Bardyuzha on Pixabay

Sound Effects: Aviana_Phoenix and BenKirb and freesound_community on Pixabay

Photo: Joy (CC-BY 2.0, no changes made)

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Digesting Food Studies is funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Lakehead University, and the Canadian Association for Food Studies.