Nanaimo Bar

Nanaimo Bar is a dessert item of Canadian origin popular across North America. It is a no-bake square that is named after the city of Nanaimo, located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

History

The origin of the Nanaimo Bar is somewhat disputed, but it is generally agreed that it was first created in the mid-20th century in or around Nanaimo. The earliest known printed copy of the recipe, titled "Nanaimo Bars", appears in the 1952 cookbook by Edith Adams.

Description

A typical Nanaimo Bar is made up of three layers. The bottom layer is a crumb-based layer, usually made from a mixture of graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts, bound together with a mixture of butter, sugar, and cocoa powder.

The middle layer is a custard-flavoured butter icing, which traditionally uses Bird's Custard powder for the custard flavour, although variations may use vanilla pudding mix or other flavours.

The top layer is a thin coating of semi-sweet chocolate ganache. Once the layers are assembled, the dessert is chilled until set, then cut into squares.

Variations

There are many variations of the Nanaimo Bar, including mint, mocha, peanut butter, and cherry. Some variations also include different types of nuts or no nuts at all, and the type of crumb used in the base layer can also vary.

Cultural Significance

The Nanaimo Bar is a significant part of Canadian culinary history. In 1986, the city of Nanaimo launched a contest to find the ultimate Nanaimo Bar recipe. The winning recipe, submitted by Joyce Hardcastle, is now featured in a city-published brochure on a self-guided "Nanaimo Bar Trail" tour of local bakeries and cafes.

In 2019, the Nanaimo Bar was featured on a Canadian postage stamp as part of Canada Post's "Sweet Canada" series.

See Also

• List of desserts
• Canadian cuisine
• Custard