The butter tart is probably the most recognizably Canadian dessert there is. This iconic dish has stood the test of time and its syrupy simplicity has evoked a sense of Canadian like few others. But butter tarts are inarguably the most disputed dessert in Canada, and it all comes down to one question: raisins or no raisins maybe walnuts, pecans or nothing at all.
While butter tarts are known around the world as a Canadian dish, the invention of this confection actually goes back to before Canada was even a country. During a ten-year period, from 1663 to 1673, at least 770 young women were sent to Quebec by Louis XIV to help with colonization. These single ladies were sent with dowries to help boost settlement in New France, meaning they were going to marry, then cook and clean. These King’s Daughters as they came to be known did what any resourceful baker would do: they made do with what they had at the time. With the abundance of new food they created the butter tart forerunner with baking ingredients readily available like maple sugar and dried fruit.
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