Caption
Arctic char from Canada's north is adding to the taste thrills of many southern gourmets who specialize in epicurean delights. Fashionable clubs and restaurants in New York, Chicago, Boston, Detroit and major Canadian cities offer the delicate-tasting char to their discriminating clientele. In the past couple of years, three Arctic fisheries have been established. The fishing, freezing and shipping of char to southern markets has given a small group of Eskimos a new source of income in a land where the traditional means of making a living is rapidly changing through contact with the civilization of the white man. For a limited number of Canada's 12,000 Eskimos this added income, which reduces their dependence on the vagaries of a fluctuating food supply, is now a reality. In the frigid waters of the Arctic Lakes char reproduce at a comparatively slow rate so the fish are never likely to be in abundant supply. Eskimos call the char "Ilkalupik", which means special fish, and, at $1.25 a pound, the succulent char seems slated to hold its lofty position for some time to come. First overseas shipment of char went to Paris for a banquet of the French Nature Protection Society -- a body that takes pride in serving its members something new, if possible exotic, in the way of foods. To those in the know, Arctic char is just that.
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928