Alberta’s prairie is ideal for cattle rearing and its Western beef is world famous. Apart from traditional foods, Alberta’s towns and cities offer an excellent range of international cuisine. Alcohol is sold in ‘liquor stores’, although beer may be obtained in the majority of hotels.
Regional specialties:• 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.
• Beef mincemeat
(combines chopped suet, fruits and spices) is used in pies and tarts and as a traditional Christmas dish served with ice-cream, cream or rum sauce.
• Stew (combination of diced steak, garden vegetables and biscuits cooked in rich gravy).
• 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.
Legal drinking age: 18.
NightlifeBoth Edmonton and Calgary have a rich variety of nocturnal entertainment. Nightclubs, cabarets, taverns, lounges and that infamous Alberta watering hole, the beer parlour, combine to provide constant local and international entertainment. Calgary and Edmonton boast full-scale orchestras.
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