Is noodle novelty the latest sign of food diversity in Canada?

Once upon a time, food in Canada was rather traditional: those living inland ate steaks from the beef farms, those on the coast could enjoy lots of seafood, and there were plenty of wheat-based products, because that's what grew on the prairies. Better transport enabled those living inland to eat seafood more and so on, but that was as varied as it got.

However, all that has changed down the years as a myriad of food cultures have made their appearance on the Canadian food scene.

We've had European cuisines like Italian for a long time, of course, with pizza now being one of the most commonly eaten foods and pasta being prominent too. And Scots Canadians will enjoy the odd haggis, especially on Burn's Night in January. 

As with so many other western countries, more exotic cuisines from places like the Far East have also become an increasing part of the restaurant scene. Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes are never hard to find. Once, dishes like sushi were novelties, but now they are commonplace. 

For those seeking to bring novelty to Canadian plates, therefore, it is no longer enough just to serve up dishes from far-flung places. To provide something different it is now necessary to try something a little bit left field.  

There is certainly nothing stranger than the 'Beer Ramen' served up at Yuu Japanese Tapas in Richmond, British Columbia. Many Canadians have come to love a bowl of ramen, but this is something else: a huge stein filled not with beer, but ramen. It is served cold and topped with a mixture of egg whites and gelatin, which have been frothed up to look like the head on a real beer. 

Speaking to Insider Magazine, restaurant owner Julia Kubotani revealed she had got the idea on a particularly warm afternoon.

She remarked: "Thankfully we had a very hot summer this year in Vancouver and one day I was just sitting on the couch and it was so hot and I thought about icy cold beer. And the next thing I thought, ‘Why not beer ramen?'"

Naturally enough, the new delicacy has provided a hit - on Instagram at least. If nothing else, the social media coverage will provide plenty of free advertising for the establishment. Some may be thankful to learn that it does sell a normal hot ramen dish, but while traditional Japanese food may still be the big draw, the occasional novelty could help attract people who might otherwise not pass through the restaurant's doors. Perhaps even now, Ms Kubotani is thinking of the next novelty to attract customers and gain some publicity. 

Of course, there may be another good reason for some novelty Japanese dishes, since more traditional western food has been given some unusual makeovers in recent years. 

A prime example of this is the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), which was held last August in Toronto. This annual event includes a food section where some real novelties can be enjoyed - usually of the fried variety.

It might have been across the Atlantic in Scotland that the fried Mars bar originated, but it was the CNE that launched the deep fried Oreos, pickles in deep-fried corn dogs and this year's speciality, fried frog's legs. 

Other unusual foods on show last month included chocolate-banana steak eclairs and curry coconut flavour ice cream. 

So while Japanese food may offer a break from the norm in Canada, it seems the introduction of something truly bizarre to temp the tastebuds is a growing trend across food cultures.