Anne Marie Lane Jonah and Chantal Véchambre. French Taste in Atlantic Canada 1604 -1758: A Gastronomic History. (Sydney, NS: 2012, Cape Breton University Press. Pp. vii +251, ISBN 978-1-897009-77-2.)

As someone who appreciates cooking, reading cookbooks, and learning about Canadian history, it was with great excitement that I found French Taste in Atlantic Canada 1604–1758: A Gastronomic History. Jonah and Véchambre’s book is an excellent example of how a book can be part historical research and part cookbook: the authors are able to retain the interest of the reader, yet it is not too disjointed as to interrupt the flow of the text. French Taste in Atlantic Canada does exactly that by examining the foodways of Acadie and Fortress Louisbourg during the 17^th and early 18^th centuries. The fully bilingual book is supplemented with contributions of essays and research by Ruby Fougère, a curator with Parks Canada; Alain Bossé, chef and culinary consultant; Heidi Moses, Archaeological Collections Manager; Robert Pichette, journalist; and Susan Lane, sommelier. Photography for the book was by Perry Jackson, with additional photography by Ruby Fougère and Heidi Moses. The book was translated and edited for French by Claudette Sirois-Strew and Monique Cantin. One of the strengths of this book lies in the excellent summaries of the history of the fortified town of Louisbourg, the capital of the French colony of Île Royale (known today as Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island). The authors beautifully capture the daily life of the inhabitants of the colony of over 400 years ago, detailing, through archaeological and historical cultural research, how the encounters of the French (as well as Norman, Breton, Basque, Spanish, Portuguese and English) settlers with the Mi’kmaq created a unique and local cuisine. The book contains beautiful pictures of archeological artifacts, historical maps, and re-enactments of food preparation and the cuisine that would have been consumed at the Fortress Louisbourg National Historic Site. As noted in the Foreword by Alan Latourelle, Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada, this book is an articulation of the livelihoods of those settlers, and how they used food as a tie to past generations. Therefore, it is a fitting publication as part of the celebration of the 300^th year anniversary of Louisbourg (2013). The recipes included in the text are indicative of the strong emphasis on seafood, such as Oyster Casserole and Eel Pie. Explanations of how these and other seafood (cod, salmon, and crab, to name a few) were prepared, as well as how they were eaten (from dining etiquette to utensils needed), make up a large portion of each chapter and are deftly described. The authors point out that they tried to choose recipes that would appeal to the modern tastes of the reader, and that they deliberately avoided expensive ingredients (although lamb, mutton, lobster, and truffles would have all been consumed by the French Regime in the 17^th and 18^th centuries). The recipes are easy to follow, instruction-wise, and while I did not attempt to make eel pie, I did try several other recipes with success. The authors helpfully reference an online app called “Heritage Gourmet” (which I found on the Google Play store after entering in the preface “Parks Canada”) that offers further exploration of the foodways of Canada’s culinary history. Following the accounts of the lives of some of the first French settlers of Cape Breton was a wonderful way in which to bridge the gap between recipes and history. Descriptions of settlers make the gastronomic history come alive with detail. Some of the notable figures discussed are Nicolas Denys (a merchant born in France who saw the possibility of settlement in the new land from Samuel de Champlain’s accounts), the Widow Plemarais (Marguerite de Sainte-Étienne de la Tour, who was …