Karen Mealing, manager of culture and tourism for Midland, Ontario, joins Lisa and Cristina to explore the rich story of Canada’s most beloved dessert: the butter tart.

Karen traces its origins from early settler kitchens to Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival, a free street celebration that draws about 60,000 visitors and sells more than 300,000 tarts every June.

Fans of The Great Canadian Baking Show will recognize the most delicious controversy at the heart of this treat and a running joke on both CBC and Baking Scraps: are butter tarts best with raisins, or no raisins? Karen shares how that spirited debate once lit up the festival’s social media and continues to shape conversations among bakers and fans alike.

She also takes listeners inside the festival’s detailed judging process, reveals flavor combinations ranging from traditional pecan to adventurous black garlic or peanut curry, and describes how the event adapted during the pandemic with a butter tart bicycle trail.

With traditions like the ceremonial “piping of the tart,” more than 400 vendor applications each year, and a team that has grown to five planners, this festival has become a beloved cornerstone of Canadian food culture. Along the way, Lisa and Cristina reflect on their own evolving appreciation for butter tarts, making this episode a warm and lively celebration of culinary heritage and community spirit.

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