7 Things You Probably Thought Were 100% Canadian But Actually Aren't — Sorry!

Clamato

Clamato, a juice made of tomato and clam juice with the addition of spices and Worcestershire sauce, has long been associated with the Caesar, which is considered to be Canada's national cocktail.

While the drink is regarded as having been created in Canada, Clamato, on the other hand (aka the main ingredient in the cocktail) isn't actually Canadian.

Mott's Clamato, the maker of the original Clamato juice, is said to have originated in the U.S., specifically in California.

So next time you're sipping a Caesar, remember that the drink isn't all-Canadian after all.

Zamboni

Not all "Zambonis" are Zambonis, as it turns out. The general term for these machines is an "ice resurfacer."

While Zamboni ice resurfacers are used across Canada, the original Zamboni was actually invented by American Frank J. Zamboni in 1949, and the Zamboni company itself is based in Paramount, California.

So while some ice resurfacers may be Canadian, true Zambonis are not. Now you know!

Beavertails

Don't worry — no one is saying that Beavertails aren't Canadian. The kind many Canucks know and love are the iconic pastries that originated in Ottawa, Ontario, and today can be found all over Canada and even internationally.

However, the idea of the confection itself — a fried-dough pastry flattened and covered with sugar or other toppings — may not be as Canadian as you'd think.

A similar U.S. pastry called an Elephant Ear (so named because of its flattened, round shape) is said to go back to 1864, invented by the Navajo tribe of the southwestern United States and originally called frybread.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, frybread "appears to be nothing more than fried dough — like an unsweetened funnel cake, but thicker and softer, full of air bubbles and reservoirs of grease."

Sounds familiar, eh?

Beavers

The beaver is a national symbol of Canada, but what many might not know is that the beaver isn't distinctly Canadian.

Unlike animals like the eastern wolf and wood bison, which can only be found in Canada, beavers can be found in other parts of the world.

The creatures can be found all over North America, with the exception of some U.S. deserts, and there are even Eurasian beavers that can be found in southern Scandinavia, Germany, France, Poland and central Russia.

Smarties

Smarties are regarded as a classic Canadian snack by many, but while they are unique to Canada in some ways, they're not the Canadian treat you thought they were.

According to the BBC, British confectionery company H.I. Rowntree & Co. had been making Smarties in some form since 1882.

The company was later taken over by Nestlé in 1988, which still produces the chocolate candies today.

Smarties are unique to Canada in that you can't get the same candy across the border in the U.S. (the American version of Smarties are more like what Canadians would call Rockets), which may be where the idea that the Smarties are Canadian comes from.

Next time you're munching on them or handing them out at Halloween, remember that this treat is actually from out of town.

Ginger ale

Many may think that ginger ale, a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger, originated in Canada, but it's actually a bit more complicated than that.

Ginger ale has ties to England, and the drink we know today is thought to have been created by Thomas Cantrell, an American living in Ireland at the time.

Cantrell is said to have attempted to create a ginger-flavored drink with a lower alcohol content than ginger beer, and in 1852 in Belfast, combined ginger flavoring, sugar and carbonated water to create the popular beverage.

Later, in 1904, Canadian John J. McLaughlin sought to create a lighter version of the drink as an alternative to more syrupy versions, inventing Canada Dry Ginger Ale, which is one of the most popular versions of the beverage today.

So while Canada Dry is indeed Canadian, ginger ale itself was not created in Canada. Sorry!

Hockey

It may break some hearts to find out that hockey isn't as Canadian as Canucks might think.

According to History, the true origins of the game are "murky" and may actually date back to stick-and-ball games played during the Middle Ages.

Other records show that a crude version of the game was played in Egypt 4,000 years ago, and there's also evidence that a similar game was played in ancient Greece.

One ancestor of the sport may be a game called "shinty" that was played on ice in the early 1600s in Scotland, which may also have contributed to the word "shinny."

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, research reveals that organized hockey games were first played on skates in England.

Even the name "hockey" is said to date back to 1773, having first been recorded as being used in a book published in England called Juvenile Sports and Pastimes.

Despite all this, Canada is credited for modernizing and popularizing hockey as we know it today — it's our national winter sport, after all.

But next time you play, watch or talk about the sport, just know — you may have someone from over 7,000 years ago to thank.