Street Cart · Winter Treat

BeaverTails (Queues de Castor)

Photo: AdoTang / Wikimedia Commons · CC0

No beaver is involved — the pastry gets its name because it's hand-stretched into the flat, oval shape of a beaver's tail.

A whole-wheat pastry is hand-stretched thin, deep-fried until golden, and served hot topped with cinnamon sugar, chocolate spread, or maple butter. It's sold from street carts and kiosks, especially at winter festivals and outdoor skating rinks like Ottawa's Rideau Canal.

Why it's made this way: Its made-to-order, hand-held format made it a natural fit for outdoor winter events, where vendors needed something they could fry fast and hand over hot for people to eat on the move without stopping in the cold.