11 Traditional Acadian Dishes and Popular Foods

Poutine Rapee is a traditional Acadian dish of potatoes mostly available in New Brunswick and perhaps other Acadian regions in Canada. Basically, these are dumplings created using grated and mashed potatoes.

Locals usually stuff the poutin râpée with salted pork. Some recipes even require hours of boiling the dumplings for serving on Christmas.

The dumplings have a grayish appearance with a bland flavor contrasting with the salty filling. When serving, folks will either sprinkle peppers on the dumplings or glaze them with molasses.

Chow-chow is an Acadian pickled relish popularized in North America. The dish traces back to the Acadian migrants from Nova Scotia to Louisiana.

Often, a chow-chow, or chowchow, mixture enhances a variety of dishes, including fish cakes, mashed potatoes, and hot dogs. The specialty comes with a blend of cucumbers, onions, cauliflower, and green peppers, pickled in vinegar with mustard and celery seeds.

Traditionally served cold, chow-chow adds a tangy, crunchy texture and flavor to meals.

Fricot is a traditional Acadian stew with vegetables and chicken as the main ingredients. Originating from France, it has become a cornerstone of Acadian cuisine in Canada.

Interestingly, the inclusion of dumplings like poutine râpée elevates fricot to a beloved lunch among Acadians. Plus, there’s even a meatless version, known as “fricot a la belette” or “weasel stew”.

Croquettes de poisson, or fish cakes, are a staple fishcake in Acadian cuisine, especially on the coastline. As a fish dish, it’s mainly made using cod, whether salted or fresh.

This dish incorporates mashed potatoes, with onions, peppers, and parsley as optional enhancements. Traditionally fried in oil, some areas may opt for pork back fat.

These croquettes are shaped into uneven rounds and often served with tomato sauce.

Râture, or rappie pie, is a traditional Acadian dish revolving mainly around grated potatoes. The pie is recognized globally as a casserole-like specialty from southwest Nova Scotia, Canada.

The preparation involves grating potatoes, draining them of liquid, and then combining them with meat, onions, and broth to bake until golden brown. Additionally, the pie goes well with a range of meat for additional proteins.

Cipâte is a favorite pie of Acadians coming from Quebecois cuisine. Known in English as sea-pie, it’s often served to English sailors with fillings that may or may not include seafood.

This delicacy is crafted by layering dough with seasoned meat, ranging from cattle and poultry to seafood and game.

Interestingly, the French name “Six-Pâtes” suggests a connection to the process of folding the dough six times during preparation.

Tourtière is a traditional meat pie in Acadian cuisine. Commonly prepared for festive Acadian dinners during the Christmas to New Year period, its primary filling is pork, though beef is also popular.

For serving, the meat pie always comes with mashed potatoes. In terms of the name, “tourtière” comes from the round mold used for baking the pie.

In Acadia, the pie even goes by the name of pâté à la viande consisting of pork mixed with chicken, rabbit, or beef. This version of Acadian tourtière is especially popular in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

Pâté chinois is a layered shepherd pie that has become a staple in Acadian and Quebecois cuisine. Interestingly, its origins often linked to Chinese workers on the Canadian railway in the 19th century.

Traditionally, it features a bottom layer of seasoned meat, typically pork or beef, a middle layer of corn, and is topped with a layer of mashed potatoes.

Ployes are Acadian flatbread cooked on only one side. They are now popular across Canada and Maine as a sweet treat or side dish.

Originating in Nova Scotia, their simple batter employs buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and water. Acadian families often add their unique twists to the recipe.

People often savor ployes at breakfast, lunch, or dinner as a side, or as a dessert topped with molasses, honey, maple syrup, or cream, traditionally rolled up before eating.

Pets de sœur is a traditional Acadian dessert featuring cinnamon, flaky crust dough, butter, and molasses. The treat is a common choice for Acadians on Christmas Eve.

Its French name humorously translates to “the nun’s fart,” referring to its origins among nuns in Acadian and Quebec regions.

There’s even a variation known as nombrils de soldats or “soldier navels”, similar to pets de sœur but prepared without milk.

Pouding chômeur is a dessert staple of many Acadians though it’s a creation from Quebecois cuisine. Known as “the poor man’s pudding”, it was created by female factory workers during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

The treat is all about making a cake batter with maple syrup, or in more austere times, white or brown sugar and stale bread.