BeaverTail

A BeaverTail is a flat, stretched strip of fried dough, traditionally finished with cinnamon sugar.

It is associated with Ottawa and the Rideau area of Canada, where it is sold as a sweet snack to eat on the go. The name refers to the broad, flat shape of the dough, which is meant to suggest a beaver's tail.

What it really is

A soft dough of flour, sugar, butter and egg is stretched by hand into a long, flat strip with a broad, rounded shape. It is deep fried until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside stays light and tender. While still hot, it is dusted with cinnamon sugar, the traditional topping.

The result is closer to a sweet fried dough than to a baked pastry. It is not ring-shaped like a doughnut, and it has no filling. Its sweetness comes from the sugar in the dough and the cinnamon sugar on top.

How it's served

• Hot from the fryer, with the cinnamon sugar applied while the surface is still warm.
• Whole, eaten by hand, usually from a paper tray or sleeve.
• With cinnamon sugar alone as the standard topping. Other toppings, such as chocolate or fruit spreads, are extra choices with their own ingredients.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as fried dough and state the topping, for example "BeaverTail with cinnamon sugar". The main ingredient is wheat flour; there is no meat.
• Flag wheat, egg and milk, since the dough contains butter, and say which of these are in the standard item.
• Price and list any extra toppings separately, and flag their allergens, especially nuts and dairy in spreads.
• Check the frying oil before you claim a dietary status. Vegetarian and vegan claims depend on the fat used for frying and the toppings, not on the dough alone.