Alberta Food and Drink

Alberta's prairie is ideal for cattle rearing and its Western beef is world famous. There's a strong emphasis on sustainable eating here, with chefs creating inventive dishes using seasonal, locally grown produce. Apart from traditional foods, Alberta's towns and cities offer an excellent range of international cuisine. Eating out in Alberta might involve sharing Asian small plates, tucking into a tender hunk of steak, savouring fine French fare or enjoying the latest farm-to-table creations.

Specialities

• Beef is barbecued, braised, grilled, minced and skewered with different complements such as onions, mushrooms, green peppers, rice, sauces and beans; Alberta beef is renowned worldwide and is extraordinarily succulent.
• Stew (combination of diced steak, garden vegetables and biscuits cooked in rich gravy).

• Game meats and wild fish, combined with garden-fresh vegetables.

• Bison is served in a variety of cuts, including steaks, burgers and sausages.

• Root vegetables such as beetroots and carrots.

• Taber corn, sold at roadside stands in and around the southern Alberta town of Taber. It's famed for its sweet taste thanks to the area's abundant sunshine.
• Wild berries and nuts are used in desserts.
• Honey is made from alfalfa and clover nectar and is a widely used sweetener and breakfast food.

Things to know

In Alberta, alcohol is sold in privately owned liquor stores.

Tipping

It's customary to tip between 15% and 20% at bars and restaurants in Alberta. Tips are also given to tour guides, and for taxi service, spa treatments, porters and haircuts.

Drinking age

18.

Regional drinks

Alberta has a fast-evolving craft beer scene. Microbreweries dot both rural and urban areas. Sippin' Alberta (www.albertaculinary.com/introducing-sippin-alberta) is a craft drink trail taking in breweries, distilleries, meaderies and fruit wineries across the province.