Aboriginal Food & Wine
Come and enjoy the aboriginal food and wine of the First Nations of BC.
The First Nations People have always prided themselves on their hospitality, sharing their aboriginal food and resources. Today, visitors can experience the hospitality of the First Nations at Aboriginal-owned lodges and inns, feast houses, Aboriginal restaurants and attractions, and even at an award-winning Aboriginal winery in the Okanagan.
From time immemorial, the land has fed the First Nations people. They knew which plants to harvest for medicine, which ones would nourish them through the winter, where to find the best root plants, which pine trees bore nuts, and where to pick the best berries. Even today, elders teach their youth how to prepare aboriginal foods the way they were taught. In sophisticated culinary circles, fresh, regional and seasonal are the key words. Indigenous peoples have always lived their lives around the food cycles of the seasons, and the best of current First Nations cuisine is a reflection of this.
In the north you may get the chance to try smoked seal meat, or oolichan oil, while on the coast you will be able to savour freshly caught salmon cooked over an open fire or tasty smoked salmon. There are restaurants serving traditional Aboriginal foods, such as Crisp Kelp on Steamed Rice with Oolican Oil, Wind Dried Salmon, Alder-Grilled Buffalo Smoky, and Wapiti (Elk) served with sweet potato pie. There are traditional longhouses for special group dining events with feasts that are evocative of the coastal potlatch tradition, with guests treated to a dance, singing and drumming presentation, as well as a chance to sample a traditional meal of either salmon or stew with bannock and other indigenous foods.
For a dining experience that engages all your senses, indulge in the aboriginal food, wine and hospitality of the First Nations of British Columbia, Canada.
