14 Dishes That Prove Newfoundland And Labrador Make The Best Comfort Food

We have the inside scoop on what makes it such a delicious destination.

Feeling gut-foundered? It’s probably time for a proper scoff, the kind you’ll only find in Newfoundland and Labrador, eh b'y?

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These 14 treats prove that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do comfort food better than anyone else:

1. Fries, dressing, and gravy

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This combination of fries, piping hot gravy, and dressing (aka stuffing, like the kind you’d have at Thanksgiving) packs a powerful flavour punch. At Norma's Take-out in Lewisporte, locals love it with homemade wedge fries. Poutine wishes it tasted this good. 

2. Jiggs dinner

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Fill a simmering pot with salt beef, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and pease pudding, and let the magic happen. Jiggs dinner is happiness on a plate. It’s not surprising that this heaping platter of stewed comfort is Newfoundland’s unofficial provincial dish.

3. Cod au gratin

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Cod au gratin is so unexpectedly good that the dish has its own mini plotline in Broadway’s Come From Away. The buttery, mild fish melds beautifully with a bubbling layer of creamy melted cheese. Eat till you’re stogged, then sneak back into the kitchen to steal the crispy cheesy bits from the edges of the pan. At the Dildo Dory Grill, they make it with cheddar, mozzarella, cream sauce, and bread crumbs.

4. Fish and brewis

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Only Newfoundlanders would have the wherewithal to take a pragmatic, sensible dish like a fisherman’s fish and brewis (a hash of salt cod and softened hardtack bread) and turn it into something sinful by adding in scrunchions. These bite-sized morsels of fried pork fat are like little bites of heaven. You can find a mean fish and brewis at the aptly named Fisherman's Landing in Rocky Harbour.

5. Cold plates

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To say that a cold plate is just a fancy way of serving up leftovers does a disservice to this incredible dish of roast turkey, cold cuts, coleslaw, pasta salad, and potato salad (often tinted pretty colours thanks to pickled beets or mustard). Rosie's in Gander does an amazing one (and locals also love their "moose fart" cookies).

6. Sweet and sour moose

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Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian has their favourite moose recipe. Burgers, stews, and chilis are all popular, but there’s nothing so cozy as a simmering pot of sweet and sour moose meatballs with extra rice for sopping up all the sauce. 'Tis the best kind.

7. Toutons

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Leave it to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take something as simple as fresh bread and elevate it to the sublime. Toutons are pieces of fried bread dough, a little bit crispy and a little bit chewy. Phenomenal when slathered with butter and molasses, they're even better with bakeapple jam. Grab them with bologna for breakfast at St. John's Duke of Duckworth or sliced up and served with spinach dip at the Gander Bread Box.

8. Bakeapples

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Known as cloudberries in Scandinavia, bakeapples look a bit like pale raspberries, but they have a taste all their own. Ladled over cheesecake, smeared over toutons, or eaten straight from the field, there’s a good reason these delicious berries are revered in Newfoundland and Labrador.   

9. Snowballs

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Fudgy, chewy, and a little bit gooey, snowballs are the best part of any holiday buffet. These chocolate oatmeal balls are coated in powdery fine coconut until they resemble their namesake. Nourish Bakery in Paradise sells them all year round, so you won't have to wait until December.

10. Blueberry buckle

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Blueberry buckle is what fruit crisp and coffee cake want to be when they grow up. Plump, late summer berries burst with fresh flavour, and the sweet crumble on the top adds lots of texture but doesn’t take away from the fruit. Damn fine with vanilla ice cream or rum sauce (or both!). With a little luck, you can nab buckle squares at Adley's in St. John's to satisfy your cravings.

11. Duffs

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How good are Newfoundlanders and Labradorians when it comes to comfort food? So good that they take their best dish, the Jiggs dinner, and make it even better by adding in a dessert. Blueberry or figgy (raisin) duff pudding steams right alongside everything else in the Jiggs pot, making a dense, sweet, soft dessert.  

12. Lassy buns

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Do you want a big soft cookie or an afternoon tea biscuit? With Lassy buns, you get both. These soft molasses treats fall somewhere between a thick drop cookie and a small tea biscuit. They’re perfect with a strong cup of tea for an elevener break.  

13. Gumdrop cake

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Nobody serves up a loaf of tea cake like Newfoundlanders. Lemon and cherry are delicious, but classic Newfoundland gumdrop cake is divine. You won’t find anything prettier on a platter, and it’s the perfect thing to bring to a neighbour in need of cheer.

14. Peppermint nobs

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The best way to end any Newfoundland and Labrador meal or snack is to pop a peppermint nob. Peppermint nobs are huge hunks of roughly cut hard candy that seem to last forever.

There’s just one ingredient missing from this list, and it’s the one that Newfoundland and Labrador cooks up best: friendship. Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian knows that the most delicious meals are those that are shared. Long may your big jib draw.

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