Canadian Indigenous Food in Ku-kum

Recently I met a relative who came from the US to visit Canada. We talked about places to visit in Toronto. When I asked about food preferences and if there is any kind of food he would be interested to taste during his visit, he answered: “Tell me about any kind of food that I can try here that I cannot find back home!” In Toronto, you can find any kind of food from any place of the world, but the same is the truth about the biggest cities in the US. I thought then that a possible answer for this question might be related with Canadian First Nation’s cuisine. We start researching some places and the one that we chose to try was Ku-Kum . 

The word Ku-Kum (ᑯᑯᒼ) means “grandmother” in Cree. It combines the traditional Indigenous cuisine with some French Influence. Their product shows simplicity but with an extraordinary quality and presentation. The meals served here are to be slowly enjoyed.

Regarding the visit, in the end, our plans did not go through. But after my relative returned home, I was curious about this place and planned a visit.

My first visit started with a Seal trio. 

The Seal Trio is a Pan seared Seal Loin, with Seal Paté and Seal Tartare. It was served with masago, some legumes and a traditional cornbread. Some friends have asked me about the flavour of the Seal meat. I would say that is like liver, but much more juicy.

In my second visit, as a starter, I tried the traditional corn soup with Beans.

The first time I tried the traditional style fish Pie. It has whipped potatoes and caramelized shallots with wild onions and dill. It has a side of salad prepared with potatoes and beetroot.

The next time I tried the Venison chops, with buttery mushrooms and smoked mashed Yukon gold potatoes. The Venison was well cooked and juicy.  

I tried the sweet grass Crème Brûlée.

They offered for the drink a traditional cedar tea. Our indigenous use Cedar leaves for bringing balance and positive energy.

It is interesting to note that the restaurant serves cocktails and alcoholic beverages. When I asked about something traditional, they said that their ancestors did not have as a custom to prepare liquor. They said that perhaps the reason is that because of the weather in Canada, they do not need to create anything to preserve foods.

Recently, there was some controversy regarding the use of Seal meat in this restaurant. In my opinion, we cannot pretend to change the way our first nations prepared their foods. They have done a lot of work to integrate into our modern societies. I was very pleased to talk to their staff and hear that despite the history was not always nice to them, they want to move on and show the best of their culture and the cuisine. I believe that kukum is a great addition to the multicultural culinary offer that is available in Toronto.