Beaver tails
(Queues de Castor)
Beaver tails are sweet, flat, and thin Canadian pastries made from whole wheat flour. The dough is hand-stretched and shaped to look like a beaver's tail - unsurprisingly, one of Canada's national symbols. The shaped dough is fried (a technique referred to as float-cooking) on canola oil and smothered with butter and a variety of different toppings.
Beaver Tails originated from a recipe created by Grant Hooker's family and have been served commercially since 1978. It is believed that the pastry evolved from a yeasty, wheaty dessert made from excess dough that was first made on early Canadian and American farms.
Beaver Tails are always served hot and topped with cinnamon, sugar, and some lemon juice, which is the most popular option. Other toppings may include chocolate and hazelnut, maple syrup and butter, apple and cinnamon, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, jelly beans, bananas...
The list goes on, as the possibilities are virtually infinite for this Canadian icon.
