Originally Posted by
Uniter
One would think they'd try and differentiate themselves and come up with one, though. If only to shake the label of America, Jr.
I think that a "national dish" is a misnomer no matter where you are. There are so many national dishes in
every country that it would be hard to choose just one regardless.
When you remove the cultural diversity that the African Americans brought into the south and other niches like Kansas City, along with the Latin American influence in the southwest and the Hawaiian influence, there isn't much "truly American" left. Burger and Fries? Maybe American - but I'm fairly certain that one would have been discovered regardless of where. Hot dogs? German. Pizza? Italian. Roast Beef? British. Outside of those influences, the American and Canadian culinary culture is largely the same. Think, what has Oregon and Washington state brought to the table (literally) that British Columbia or Alberta has not?
Canada's immigrants were mostly eastern European settlers to the prairies, bringing with them perogies, sauerkraut, sausage, and the like. There were no African American immigrant populations to spice things up, or Latin American populations to introduce any of their culinary influences. Toronto might be a melting pot today, but "back in the day" it was certainly not - and places like Calgary never were. I had not seen an African American or Latin American outside of television until I was 18 and going to college in Minneapolis!