Nova Scotia Cuisine: 5 Local Foods to Savor

If you've worked up an appetite exploring Nova Scotia's museums, parks, breweries, wineries, hiking, and gorgeous seascapes, you'll also want to take advantage of the rich Nova Scotia cuisine.

A Canadian maritime province, ports on Nova Scotia cruises boast dishes that are infused with flavors from the ocean to its wild forests. Enjoy these Nova Scotia local food favorites on our Canada and New England cruises:

1. Nova Scotia Lobster
   

   The lobsters fished straight from Nova Scotia's waters are sweet and incredibly tender. When ordering this delicacy from a restaurant, try to find the simplest preparation, so you can really savor the fresh meat. Arguably one of the best places to get lobster in Nova Scotia, Shore Club in Hubbards offers a traditional lobster supper with plenty of succulent extras — including all-you-can-eat steamed mussels.

2. Oysters
   

   Nova Scotia cruises provide a chance to try oysters that come in many varieties, from the briny Cape Bretons to the lighter Bras d'Ors — and all of them make wonderful complements to fine local wines. The Press Gang Restaurant & Oyster Bar in Halifax boasts a sampler of four different species of oysters, and its servers offer excellent recommendations for newbies to the oyster world. As you traverse the province, you'll find that many restaurants serve different selections of oysters.

3. Blueberries
   

   Stop at a farmers market for these blue beauties that are both harvested and cultivated on Nova Scotia. Some favorite dishes made from these plump berries include wild blueberry crisp, blueberry grunt, blueberry sauce, and blueberry smoothies.

4. Fiddleheads
   

   With their nutty, spinach-like flavor, fiddleheads are young ferns that are picked before forest fronds unfurl in spring. See if you can spot them while you're hiking through Nova Scotia's lush forests — but don't try to eat them, as some species may be poisonous. Fortunately, trained foragers at local farmer's markets will tout these springtime delights, so you can sample them for yourself. Fiddleheads are best enjoyed when steamed, or sauteed with butter, garlic, and onion.

5. Nova Scotia Oatcakes
   

   Sweet and salty, oatcakes taste delicious with a cup of coffee and are served across the province for breakfast or as a simple dessert. Keep an eye out for the LaHave Bakery, or other local bakeries that are famous for their oatcakes. If you fall in love with these sweet treats, they'll be easy to make in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Savor each taste of the local Nova Scotia cuisine at ports like Halifax and Sydney on Nova Scotia cruises, and you'll come back new, feeling revitalized. View Canada & New England cruises.