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Did you know that Manitoba has more restaurants per capita than any other place in North America? What is more noteworthy is that many restaurants in the province serve authentic international cuisine as they are owned and operated by immigrants.
Manitoba is home to newcomers from more than 150 countries. We have around 100 languages spoken here. That’s why, aside from finding mainstream cuisine such as French, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and Indian, you will also find restaurants serving authentic Polish, Greek, Filipino, Vietnamese, and African food. There are also ethnic food stores and groceries where you can buy ingredients to cook your favorite native dishes, with some even serving cooked food ready for you to take home.
Restaurants and ethnic food stores
Asia, Europe, and South America are represented in our province. There’s Carnaval (authentic Brazillian barbeque), Clay Oven (East Indian/Hakka food), Irori Barbeque House (Korean barbeque), Kokeb Restaurant (Ethiopian food), Saperavi (Georgian), and many more. Many of these restaurants may be found in the Exchange District or Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, if you need leaves for your feuilles de manioc or banana blossoms for your paksiw, you can get them at more than 70 ethnic food stores all over the province. Food Matters Manitoba has complied a list of these stores in a beautiful pamphlet that you can download here: Where to Buy Traditional Foods in Winnipeg. But in case you don’t find your special ingredient in any of the stores listed, you can also try mainstream grocery stores like Superstore or No Frills. They usually have an aisle dedicated to international foods.
Traditional and iconic Manitoba food
Manitoba is veritable playground for adventurous foodies with the abundance of food choices here. But if you’re ever you’re in the mood for traditional Canadian food, you can’t go much more authentic than Indigenous food. Have you tried bannock, bison burgers, or pemmican? To try these delicacies, Travel Manitoba recommends the restaurants (and food truck) in this article: Indigenous foodie experiences to have in Manitoba. Or if you’d like to cook Indigenous dishes yourself, get your ingredients from this list of stores from Food Matters Manitoba: Where to find Indigenous traditional food in Winnipeg.
Aside from Indigenous, we also have food that are emblematic of Manitoba. These are certain goodies that are unique to the province (or to Winnipeg) like Jeanne’s Cake, Salisbury House burgers, or Morden’s chocolates. Learn more about these popular and delicious Manitoba food from this article: Iconic foods in Canada: Manitoba. To learn more about Canadian cuisine, read this guide: What is Canadian cuisine?
Happy eating (or cooking)!
Community Resources
Home & Family has many resources for newcomers. Know what fruits and vegetable are in season in the prairies, where to find community gardens, nutrition programs, and other resources through this website.
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