The strength of Canada lies in our diversity. Our harmony comes from knowing that there is commonality within this diversity.
Our first home in Canada was in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montréal. Back then it was far from being the gentrified hipster hangout that it is now. It had served as the stomping grounds for waves of immigrants, notably English Protestants, Irish Catholics, Jews, Greeks, Italians and Portuguese, long before we arrived. By the time we settled there, in the 70’s, it was already embedded with relics from its rich history.
Every Saturday morning, we took the 55 south to do our weekly shopping on The Main or boulevard Saint-Laurent as it is officially called or Saint Lawrence Boulevard as it was called back then among English-speaking Montrealers. My parents found the shops along this strip far less daunting than the pristine aisles of the large chain stores like Steinberg’s and Simpson’s. These smaller shops were more in line with what they had been accustomed to back home in India. Money was tight and if a little haggling could save a few quarters and pennies, it made all the difference. On Saturday mornings, the place was bustling, streaming with new and old immigrants alike. Everyone spoke with a different accent if not a different language, and although everything was new for us, we were strangely comforted by the diversity of it all.
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You are such a good story-teller not only of rye, tuna, and immigrants but much, much more! Thank you for sharing, loved it!!!
Thank you dear. Hope I’m not too late to say Happy New Year! xo
Wonderful story! Isn’t food the ultimate sharing and connection of cultures?
Thank you. Yes, it most certainly is!
oh what a lovely story, Annika – your tuna Patties will be made for my husbands Tea-time tomorrow. And I, like you, will use my Quaker Oats for this. So, you are Indian – married to a German? Here I am, (born) German married to an Indian and now living for the past 16 years in Kerala 🙂 🙂 🙂 I follow you now – and thanks for looking into my kitchen. Carina
I’m glad you enjoyed my story and happy to see that you will try this recipe. Funny how our lives are! I have never visited Germany, however. It’s on our list of places to visit. I have a photo and address of the home where our beloved grandmother lived and hope to see it in person one day!
Great story! Loved the bit about grandma sending food and how it all went to the sea again.
Thank you so much!
amazing recipe ! , can i make it without eggs , is there any other alternative ?
Thank you! Yes, there is an alternative. You can use a few tablespoons (use what you need to get a soft mixture that you can form the patties with) of aquafaba. Aquafaba is the liquid inside store-bought cans of chickpeas or the liquid left over after you have cooked chickpeas. This liquid will not change the flavour of the patties but acts as a great binder. I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe as well as an amaretti cookie recipe up on this blog that uses aquafaba instead of egg.
Thank youu ❤
Annika could you please delete my first comment.. As i have changed my primary site now.. It would be great of you if you do this
done!
Thank you so much 😊 friend
I loved the tale and the recipe too!
I am a huge fan of eating burgers and this sounds really good and easy. I will definitely try it
Thank you!
You are a wonderful storyteller – weaving the strands of three cultures together before sharing the recipe. I, too, am an immigrant from Germany (to the US) and have enjoyed the cooking of Indian friends, dating back to graduate school times when we all had little money but still cooked together and shared our cultures.
Thank you so much. It’s amazing how food always brings people and cultures together!
Gostei😄
It’s beautiful! 🌸
Looks delicious!!!
I must try this recipe! Thanks!
A really beautiful story about two cultures and your recipe blends the two effortlessly!
Thank you so much!
Great work with recipes annika! Keep going! Look forward to seeing all the beautiful recipes you come up with
I added your link in my blog! Hope you get a chance to check it out.
https://thekeepupblog.wordpress.com/
These look tasty!
Wow! Amazing!
It’s looks like very tasty
Wow! Great story! Also thanks for sharing this recipe. Loving your post!
Thank you so much.
Annika, you are such a gracious writer, I loved this story and who knew, that the blonde with blue eyes would be your future mother-in-law! A beautiful story Xxx
Thank you!
Your story is beautiful ❤ and your recipe looks delicious! I can't wait to try!
Thank you!
I am a vegetarian. So the recipe is not something I would try. But the story……so beautiful and interesting 😃
Thank you.
You have an awesome warm and intimate tome to your writing! I think the food and writing portions were written great together.
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment.
You are very welcome!
You have a way with words and I love the pictures too. Food brings everyone together. I will be trying this recipe to share with friends and family. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
I loved the story! Thank so much for sharing it! The recipe looks great too!
Thank you!
Beautiful story! I love this post so much! Do you mind if I share your recipe on my blog this evening? I’m doing a post on keeping up with healthy eating.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it. No problem… just link back here please.
Thank you! I’ll include the link so people can get the recipe and also read this beautiful story!
Very inspirational story! I love recipes with a tale behind them. Can’t wait to make these tasty treats~
Thank you so much!
Beautiful story! Gonna try the recipe soon. Great job!👌
Thank you!
Guurrllll, I love the tale. As for the recipe, it’s a must try. Looking forward to more amazing tales and recipes.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Lovely story–makes the recipe so much more! Anxious to make them–thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Leaving a comment to say thanks for the story and the recipe. Your story reminded me of the book I’m reading now, Under the Tuscan Sun, because it has the same quality to it: it made me feel like I was there at Waldman’s and the Arabian Sea.
Reading about how your mom cooked the can tuna also reminded me of the time when and Indian friend invited me over and she made spaghetti that had Indian spices. It was the best spaghetti I ever had. The patties don’t have the spices but it sounds delicious (and easy!) for me to try. You said you prefer oatmeal? Are rolled oats fine?
Thank you Laarni, I will surely check out Under the Tuscan Sun. Yes, you can used rolled oats… I pass them through a grinder first to get a bread crumb-like texture.
Thanks for the reply! I will try it out 😀
Wonderful story and recipe. My great grandmother made this too, using oatmeal. Brings back memories.
Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story, Annika. ❤
What a lovely and heart warming story. Thanks for sharing. Now I’m really intrigued how the patties taste. Will be trying them this week.
Glad you enjoyed my story! Hope you like the patties as well… it’s a real easy meal!
What a beautiful story Annika! So nicely written, I felt I was in India and then montreal and then Germany! What a great read. And I can totally get how carefully your grandma must have packed and sent those dried fish. Only if all of us had that patience.
Glad you enjoyed it Archana! Thank you for stopping by!
Together we stand, divided we fall. And together, in our diversities, we grow. What a beautiful memory, Annika! Enjoyed every single word and brought back my own memories of the stories my great grandma, grandma and parents told me about the war. I don’t have a history of immigration in my family, although I feel I am one, now. Your patties are wonderful, will make them for dinner one night!
Such beautiful words. Thank you to both!
Thank you for the beautiful words. ❤
These sound so good and the pictures make you want to take a bite.
Lovely piece! Thanks!
Thank you, Sarah!
Beautiful story, it is a shame how people forget that we survive by mixing, not a single culture has prevailed in isolation. Great patties too!
Thank you Marylin! So true… and it just makes life so much more interesting learning about different cultures and customs!
What a fascinating story and journey you have all been on! And such a unique recipe. Another one for me to try.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Redawna! This was a story that I really need to let out!
What a beautiful story. I will enjoy these tuna parties when I try them this weekend.
Thank you Betty! Glad you enjoyed it and hope you like the patties! I prefer them with oatmeal instead of rye, but for this particular post, I didn’t want to change the recipe too much.
I LOVE your stories, Annika. Today you made me travel in the Montreal of my childhood, and visit two other continents. Your memories are full of life, but mostly full of love. On this sad day where hatred and intolerance has struck again, you give a beautiful demonstration that we human beings have more in common than it sometimes appears.
Thanks for your words.
PS: although not an immigrant, my French Canadian grandmother, who raised 15 children, would have made a good use of this rye and tuna patties recipe to feed her family! 🙂
Thank you for your lovely comment. Glad that you enjoyed it. It was totally coincidental that it went live today but I guess a very fitting way to spread love and compassion for one another on a day we need it most. I still use this recipe (mostly with oatmeal)… my kids love it… but these days, it’s not driven by cost but sustainability of seafood!