Many meat and cheese lovers from across the Lower Mainland make an annual pilgrimage to the Granville Island shop before celebrating the holidays with family and friends. Here are some of the highlights of the coming month.
Swedish Ham Tasting – Friday, Nov, 30th and Saturday, Dec. 1st
For two days only, Oyama will offer complimentary samples of its legendary Swedish Hams. The hams are perfect for holiday tables and often sell out, but customers can reserve theirs in advance to avoid disappointment.
Game Weekend – Thursday, Dec. 6th to Sunday, Dec. 9th
On this weekend the shop will offer dozens of handmade game specialties – everything from Lapin Maison Terrine to Goose Prosciutto to Wild Boar Prosciutto. The unique flavours and textures make showstopping charcuterie boards for festive entertaining, as well as providing easy and convenient lunches and snacks during the busy holiday season.
Christmas and New Year’s 2018
Oyama will again make a range of special creations for the holidays, including Pate en Croute, Sec Ardennes, and Wild Boar Galantine. The shop’s full list of offerings may be found at www.oyamasausage.ca from December 1st onward.
Starting December 15th, the shop will open its Fast Lane service, allowing customers who placed their entire order in advance to bypass the regular counter line-up.
Oyama & Wine Pairing with Joanne Sasvari
Smoked Wild Boar
What a glorious ham this is! Canadian wild boar legs are smoked, then aged for a minimum of six months, resulting in a flavourful cured meat with a toothsome texture similar to speck, only better. Indeed, this Oyama original is on par with the finest European cured hams. All that smoke and salt and silky fat adds up to a joyfully complex taste experience, reminiscent of fall bonfires and cosy evenings by the fire. Of course, you’ll need a good glass (or two) of wine to go with it, too. Many experts suggest big, juicy red wines like Argentinean Malbecs to go with smoked foods such as asados and southern BBQ. But this is a more nuanced dish. It plays best with aromatic white wines, especially Riesling, either dry or off-dry.
With its generally cooler climate, B.C. produces exceptional Rieslings with bracing, food-friendly acidity and lively stonefruit flavours. Some of the ones we love best come from Orofino Winery in the Similkameen Valley. Their 2015 Hendsbee Vineyard Riesling tastes tantalizingly of the first apricots of the season, with notes of slate, petrol, minerality and a subtle whiff of smoke, making it an ideal partner for the smoked wild boar.
Joanne Sasvari is a Vancouver-based food, drink, travel and lifestyle writer. She is editor of Vitis, The Alchemist and Westcoast Homes & Design magazines, and in addition is a frequent contributor to the Vancouver Sun, The Publican and WestJet magazine, among others. Joanne is also the author of the books Paprika: A Spicy Memoir from Hungary (2006), The Wickaninnish Cookbook (May 2018) and Vancouver Eats (September 2018).
Joanne’s website: https://
You can pick up the Smoked Wild Boar at our counter.
The Orofino Riesling is available winery direct, or at select private retailers.
Oyama Sausage Co.
1689 Johnston Street #17, Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver
Open Daily 8:30am – 7:00pm
About Oyama Sausage Co.:
Oyama Sausage was founded by John and Christine Van Der Lieck in 2001. Located in Granville Island’s Public Market, the shop carries a wide selection of fresh sausages and handmade pâtés, as well as cured salamis and hams. John, whose ancestry includes five generations of Dutch and German charcuterie makers, has cultivated partnerships with local farmers and suppliers to ensure he works with only the best ingredients. He experiments with fusions between traditional charcuterie (including recipes that have been in his family for generations) and international cuisine, drawing from the rich diversity of food cultures in Vancouver to create modern and exciting flavour combinations that reflect the multicultural mosaic of the city.
Media release and image provided by Karen Madsen, Dana Lee Consulting ltd.
