Newfoundland And Labrador Food and Drink

Wherever you are in Newfoundland and Labrador, seafood is central to the province's cuisine. You can tuck into a hearty plateful of fish and chips in a laid-back diner or savour fresh-from-the-ocean halibut in a high-end bistro in St. John's. Wild game features high up on the menu too, and you can sample inventive dishes created with caribou, moose or rabbit.

Specialities

• Dishes make full use of fat pork, molasses, salt fish, salt meat, boiled vegetables and soups.
• Crubeens (Irish pickled pigs' feet).
• Cod made into stews and fish cakes, or eaten fried, salted, dried or fresh - often with scrunchions, crunchy bits of fried fat pork.
• Wild Atlantic salmon caught in the Exploits River.
• Brewis is a hard water biscuit that needs soaking in water to soften, then gentle cooking; damper dog is a type of fried bread dough.
• Jigg's dinner (a mixture of salt beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and turnips) with pease pudding, a traditional family meal.

Things to know

Wine, spirits and beer are sold at provincially owned liquor stores. You can also buy beer in some convenience stores.

Tipping

A tip of 15 to 20% is usual in restaurants.

Drinking age

19.

Regional drinks

Popular brews include Black Horse, Jockey Club and Dominion Ale, and a variety of ales from Newfoundland-based Storm Brewing (including a red ale, a raspberry wheat ale and a coffee porter). The Quidi Vidi Brewing Company produces an iceberg beer using water harvested from icebergs floating offshore. If you prefer something with a bit more kick, you can try iceberg vodka, gin or rum.

Screech is Jamaican-style rum that is the historic result of trade between Newfoundland and Jamaica (Jamaica got salt cod in return).

Tea and Carnation milk is a favourite hot drink.