Jiggs Dinner (also called boiled dinner or cooked dinner) is Newfoundland’s most iconic meal salt beef boiled together with potatoes, carrot, cabbage, turnip, and greens, with pease pudding and figgy duff cooked in pudding bags submerged in the same rich broth. Condiments include mustard pickles, pickled beets, and a thin gravy made from the cooking broth. It is served on Sundays across the province and is considered the definitive expression of Newfoundland culinary culture. The name comes from Jiggs, the central character in the Bringing Up Father comic strip, who loved corned beef and cabbage.

Toutons are rounds of bread dough (using the same dough made for homemade bread) pan-fried in a cast iron pan until golden brown on both sides, then served with molasses, butter, or syrup. The outside is slightly crispy; the inside is soft, doughy, and intensely satisfying. They are one of the most beloved comfort foods in Newfoundland found on breakfast menus across the province. Toutons taste particularly good alongside baked beans and fishcakes. Making them at home is a cherished local tradition.

Figgy duff is a traditional bag pudding from Newfoundland a dense, steamed pudding made from breadcrumbs, raisins (the “figgy” ingredient “figgy” is an old Cornish word for raisin, indicating the origins of the settlers who brought the dish), brown sugar, molasses, butter, flour, and spices. It is cooked in a pudding bag (or wrapped in cheesecloth) submerged in the boiling broth of a Jiggs Dinner pot. It is served warm alongside the dinner, often with a drizzle of the cooking broth. One of the most distinctive Newfoundland desserts.

Fish and brewis is one of Newfoundland’s oldest traditional dishes salt cod soaked overnight and then boiled, served alongside hard bread (sea biscuit) that has also been soaked and boiled, topped with scrunchions (fried-out salt pork fat). The result is a humble, deeply flavoured dish that reflects the province’s centuries-long dependence on the salt cod trade. It is considered essential eating for anyone interested in understanding the culture that built Newfoundland.

Fried bologna may sound unassuming, but in Newfoundland it has genuine cultural status thick-cut bologna fried in a pan until the edges curl and caramelize, served in a sandwich or alongside eggs for breakfast. The bologna available in Newfoundland (particularly Maple Leaf brand) is notably better than elsewhere in Canada denser, more flavourful, and taken seriously by locals. A fried bologna sandwich from a corner store is one of the most authentically local eating experiences available on the island.

Cod tongues are a true Newfoundland delicacy the hyoid bone and surrounding muscle from Atlantic cod, typically pan-fried in butter and served with scrunchions (rendered, crispy salt pork fat) and often a splash of vinegar. Despite the name, they are not actually the tongue but a small, tender, extraordinarily flavourful piece of throat muscle. They are considered the single must-try dish by most Newfoundland food writers. Scrunchions deep-fried pork rinds are also used as a topping on Jiggs Dinner and other dishes.

Newfoundland takes fish and chips seriously and the standard here, using fresh Atlantic cod, is extraordinary. Ches’s Famous Fish and Chips in St. John’s has been the benchmark for generations, with battered cod that delivers a crispy exterior and flaky, fresh interior. At approximately $16–$22 for a full portion, it is excellent value. Fresh cod fish and chips is available at nearly every restaurant in the province the quality varies, but the ingredients are always extraordinary when fresh-caught.

Newfoundland chowder is a thick, hearty soup made with seafood (cod, scallops, shrimp, and sometimes mussels), potatoes, cream, and vegetables. The quality of the underlying ingredients particularly the seafood makes Newfoundland chowder among the best in Atlantic Canada. A bowl of chowder with homemade bread is one of the most satisfying lunches available in the province. Found on nearly every menu across the island.

Bakeapple is Newfoundland’s most prized wild berry a golden-orange cloudberry that grows in the province’s bogs and wet tundra. It is intensely flavoured, slightly tart, and wholly unlike any grocery store fruit. The name “bakeapple” is believed to come from the French “baie qu’appelle” (what is this berry called?). Bakeapple jam is one of the most popular edible souvenirs from Newfoundland, and bakeapple pie is a genuinely special dessert. Peak season is mid-August but jam is available year-round.

Partridgeberries known elsewhere as lingonberries are another of Newfoundland’s distinctive wild fruits. Tart, firm, and abundant in the barrens, they are used in jams, sauces, and baked goods throughout the province. Partridgeberry sauce alongside moose or wild game is a particularly Newfoundland preparation. The berries are harvested in autumn and hold well jam is available year-round.

Newfoundland has one of the highest moose densities of any region in Canada. Moose is harvested by licensed hunters across the province and appears on restaurant menus at higher-end establishments particularly as moose stew, moose burgers, and moose au jus. It is not commercially farmed, so it appears seasonally and is not on every menu. When available, moose from this region is exceptional rich, lean, and deeply flavoured game meat.