Cookie dough on sheet ready for first baking.

Metaphors in baking

First We Eat: A geologic way to think of cakes and cookies

I drove into the southern heartland of Saskatchewan last week, threading through the Qu’Appelle Valley, rolling down undulating slopes past hoodoos to the valley floor, across the bridge, then back up again to the upper deck of land that faces south. The escarpment in the south end of the province remains invisible to anyone traversing […] Read more



Photo: Thinkstock

Canadian food inflation to slow through 2024, report says

More certainty has brought an uptick in grocer promotions, but consumers are struggling

Canadian food prices are expected to rise between 2.5 and 4.5 per cent in 2024, according to a new report. “It is probable that Canadians will continue to experience the strain of food inflation compounded by increasing costs of housing, energy and various other expenditures,” according to Canada’s Food Price Report 2024.

File photo of cattle on pasture northeast of Calgary. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Report aims to show animal agriculture’s interconnections

CAPI hopes to broaden policymakers' perspective

A new report for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute seeks to educate policymakers about the impact of animal agriculture on economic, social and environmental levels. The report, titled Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis, delves into the issues surrounding cattle, dairy and poultry production in the country and how it is interconnected within […] Read more


Where We Ate by Gabby Payton profiles 150 restaurants.

New Canadiana Cookbooks: Where We Ate

First We Eat: A look at Canadian dining over the decades, through the lens of our country’s iconic eateries

As I read Where We Ate by Gabby Peyton, I fell down a rabbit hole of memory. The book, a history of Canadian dining from pre-Confederation to COVID, profiles 150 restaurants by decades. Turns out I have eaten in 26 of them. “Almost all our restaurant food is immigrant food,” Peyton writes. “We’d be remiss […] Read more

Local cured meats are a popular taste treat at Saskatchewan book launches.

New Canadiana Cookbooks: The Miracle of Salt

First We Eat: Using an age-old technique to preserve, ferment and transform your food

One way to gauge the importance of something in culture is to look at the word’s use in everyday language. When it comes to salt, we have many linguistic idioms and turns of phrase. Salt of the earth. Salty old dog. Salty language. Rubbing salt in a wound. Taking things with a grain of salt. […] Read more



(FatCamera/E+/Getty Images Canada)

Major grocery chains agree to help stabilize prices, feds say

Any moves must not undercut farmgate prices, government warns

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s five major grocery chains have agreed to help the government in its bid to stabilize soaring prices, a senior minister said on Monday, following talks to address an issue that is hurting the ruling Liberals. Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne made the announcement after two hours of what he said were […] Read more


Place filled potstickers on a cornstarch-dusted tray and freeze.

A new Canadiana cookbook

First We Eat: ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings’

Two things happen after I read What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings, an essay collection with recipes published by Coach House Books. First, I take my elderly Momsy to our favourite dim sum palace, where we eat many types of Chinese dumplings. Then I take myself into my kitchen and make some […] Read more

(Bhofack2/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. food companies go deal hunting as pandemic growth fades

Twinkies maker Hostess exploring a sale

Reuters — U.S. packaged food companies are set for a flurry of deals in a push to revamp their brand portfolios as their pandemic-era fortunes fade and benefits of price hikes start to taper off. Last month, Campbell Soup struck a $2.7 billion deal for Rao’s sauce maker Sovos Brands (all figures US$). Unilever bought […] Read more