Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About "Quirky" Canadian Food

First of all please let me say, if I grew up in Canada, I would likely think Canadian food was "normal", "typical", "perhaps playful", but I grew up in Michigan, so when I learned about some of the food in Canada, I was somewhat surprised - even confused at times! 

• Ketchup Chips: A uniquely Canadian supermarket staple, these ridged potato chips offer a sweet and tangy flavor which consistently shocks (and eventually delights) first-time visitors.
• Despite its tropical name, sweet-and-savory pineapple on pizza
  
  was actually invented in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario.
• Thrills Gum: Known for its lurid purple color, this chewing gum from London, Ontario, famously—and intentionally—tastes exactly like household soap.
• Poutine: Originating in rural Quebec in the late 1950s, this now-iconic mix of crispy fries, fresh cheese curds, and hot brown gravy is the ultimate Canadian comfort food.
• Canadians eat 55% more boxed macaroni and cheese (affectionately called "KD") than Americans, making it practically an unofficial national dish.
• Nanaimo Bars: A no-bake, three-layer dessert featuring a graham cracker and coconut base, a custard-butter filling, and a solid chocolate top.
• Hickory Sticks: Thin, crispy, hickory-smoke-flavored matchstick potatoes that have been a lunchbox and hockey-game favorite since the 1970s. 
• The Halifax Donaire: The official food of Halifax. It was created when a Greek immigrant swapped traditional lamb and tzatziki for spiced ground beef and a distinctively sweet sauce made from condensed milk, vinegar, and garlic. 
• Seal Flipper Pie: A controversial but traditional Newfoundland delicacy which incorporates the flippers of the harp seal into a rich, dark stew or pie. 
• When it comes to chocolate bars, there's one brand which Canadians love more than any other. Mostly only available in Canada, the Coffee Crisp is an irresistible combination of coffee cream and vanilla wafers, all wrapped up in a chocolate coating. It was introduced to the country in the 1930s by British confectionery brand Rowntree’s, but it's now produced by Nestlé. The brand is also responsible for the (equally tempting) Coffee Crisp ice cream dessert bars.
• A tooth-numbingly sweet dessert, maple syrup pie - also known as Pouding Chômeur: Literally translated as "Poor Man's Pudding," is a French Canadian winter warmer which is often baked around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also known as tarte au sirop d’érable, the decadent dessert makes a star of maple syrup, an ingredient which has long been part of Canada’s culinary heritage. The thick brown syrup is added to a batter of brown sugar, egg, vanilla, cream, and cornflour, and the mixture is then poured into buttery shortcrust pastry to bake.
• A Manitoba delicacy, pickerel cheeks are the meaty, succulent part of the pickerel fish, located just behind the eyes. The fleshy meat has a mild flavor and is often compared to scallops thanks to its similar firm texture. You’ll usually find pickerel cheeks chopped into bite sized pieces then battered and deep fried, pan fried, or sometimes baked. Pickerel cheeks are typically served as either a side dish, as part of a fish fry, or with mashed potatoes, beans, and pickles.
• BeaverTails pastries are a must-eat, especially after ice skating along Ottawa’s Rideau Canal. Shaped like a beaver tail (what else?), the long, flat wholewheat pastries are deep fried and then drenched in cinnamon sugar. Chocolate spread, bananas, crumbled cookies, and whipped cream are all popular toppings, too. Inspired by his German Canadian grandmother's recipes, Grant Hooker and his wife Pam founded the original BeaverTails stand in Ottawa’s ByWard Market in 1980. Today, there are BeaverTails stores all over the country.
• Swirled with ribbons of liquorice, this creamy, orange-flavored ice cream might not be to everyone's taste, but the unusual combination causes some Canadians to go misty-eyed with nostalgia. The distinctive tiger-colored frozen treat had its heyday between the 1950s and 1970s, and can still be found in some ice cream stores in Ontario, where it was most popular. Chapman’s Ice Cream also sells tubs of this Canada classic.
• May is peak fiddlehead season in Tide Head, a small riverside village in New Brunswick. The self-styled Fiddlehead Capital of the World draws foragers to the banks of the Restigouche River, where these tightly curled fern fronds flourish. Plucked from the ostrich fern, fiddleheads are similar to asparagus in texture and flavor. You’ll see these coiled green beauties for sale in many Canadian farmers’ markets in spring.

So, which Canadian food sounds the most "quirky" to you? You will find more information and more "quirky" Canadian food at this link.