What Is A Nanaimo Bar?

The Nanaimo bar is a bar dessert that requires no baking and is named after the Canadian city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. It consists of three layers: a wafer, nut (walnuts, almonds, or pecans), and coconut crumb base; custard icing in the middle; and a layer of chocolate ganache on top. Many varieties exist, consisting of various types of crumb, various flavours of icing (such as peanut butter or coconut, mocha), and various types of chocolate.

The earliest confirmed printed copy of the recipe using the name “Nanaimo bars” appears in the Edith Adams’ prize cookbook (14th edition) from 1953. In 1954, the recipe “Mabel’s Squares” was published in The Country Woman’s Favourite by the Upper Gloucester Women’s Institute (New Brunswick). The recipe was submitted by Mrs. Harold Payne, the daughter of Mabel (Knowles) Scott (1883–1957). The popularity of the bar in Nanaimo led local residents to mobilise to have it voted “Canada’s Favourite Confection” in a National Post reader survey. The Nanaimo bar was popularized nationwide after being highlighted as a classic Canadian dessert at Expo 86.

In a bid to take advantage of the bar’s popularity, the city of Nanaimo launched a tasting trail much like Ontario has done for the butter tart. Different locations in and around Nanaimo serve different variations on the classic dessert, from flavours such as maple bacon and peanut butter to deep-fried Nanaimo bars, Nanaimo bar spring rolls, Nanaimo bar waffles and cheesecake and Nanaimo bar coffee and cocktails. Following a 2006 poll, the National Post declared the Nanaimo bar Canada’s favourite confection, beating out offerings such as Coffee Crisp, Beaver Tails, Cherry Blossoms, McCain’s Deep’n Delicious cake, Jos Louis, Tim Hortons’ Iced Capp, and Laura Secord chocolate.

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