plate 21: canada

So I've reached plate 21. In some countries 21 is a coming of age, a milestone worth celebrating. Instead of popping a bottle of bubbles, the celebration was a Canadian breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning. It was made complete by the pitter-patter of rain outside: I could think of nowhere cosier than my kitchen on a miserable weekend.

To prepare for this week's journey I contacted our Canadian friend Lindsay who confirmed my concerns about Canadian cuisine. Much like Australia, in Canada there's nothing that stands out as a national dish, largely because of the population's diverse range of backgrounds. However, like Vegemite and lamb in Australia, bacon and maple syrup are two ingredients that are loved by the people. Let's just say Lindsay had me at "blueberry pancakes with maple syrup bacon". I was also highly intrigued by the French Canadian classic poutine - hot chips drowned in cheese and gravy - but my heart almost attacked at the thought. Temptation may get the better of me at some point, though, so I'll save this recipe for another time.

I salivated at the sound of Canadian Living magazine's blueberry pancakes with lemon zest and ricotta. The pancakes I grew up on were my grandmother's, which were thin French-style crepes, but Canadian pancakes are thicker, fluffier, and just as delicious - as I discovered. The ricotta gave a lovely light texture, the lemon added a great subtle zing and the blueberries offered a juicy, fruity burst of flavour.

The magazine says there's no reason to serve the pancakes with calorie-laden maple syrup when you can serve them with their berry compote, but I say au contraire: drizzling them with pure maple syrup (made from the sap of the native Canadian sugar maple tree), which gave the final sweet touch, is a must.

This fabulously rich, sugary liquid gold isn't just used in sweet dishes - it's also used to lace bacon, Canadian bacon. They don't call it Canadian bacon in Canada, they call it back bacon or peameal bacon. Unlike bacon from the belly of the pig, Canadian bacon is from the pig's back. My local butcher didn't have Canadian bacon, but the Kassler bacon they gave me was a close substitute. It was much thinner, and less fatty and smoky than the bacon we're used to. Swimming in a mix of melted butter and the famous maple syrup, it tasted really wonderful. Sweet. Salty. Sticky. Sensational.

While you can buy maple flavoured syrup, which is about half the cost of pure maple syrup, for authentic taste buy the real McCoy. With a stack of pancakes and a plateful of bacon this good you'll get your money's worth - it's enough to make you sigh in delight, "Oh, Canada".