In Pantry and Palate, journalist Simon Thibault explores his Acadian roots by scouring old family recipes, ladies' auxiliary cookbooks, and folk wisdom for 50 of the best-loved recipes of Acadians past and present. Recipes run the gamut from Acadian staples such as potato pancakes called Fring Frangs, Rappie Pie, Chicken Fricot, and various forms of meat pies; old-fashioned foodways, such as how to render your own lard, and make the most of out a pig's head; and sumptuous sweets take the form of Rhubarb Custard Pie or a simple Molasses Cake. Thibault not only discovers the past lives of his immediate and extended family, but their larders as well.

Including essays celebrating the stories behind the recipes, a foreword by bestselling author Naomi Duguid (Taste of Persia), and photos by noted food photographer Noah Fecks (The Up South Cookbook), Pantry and Palate is magnifique from page to plate.

Simon Thibault is a Halifax-based journalist and radio producer whose work focuses on food. His written work has been featured in The Globe and Mail and East Coast Living. He has contributed to CBC Radio, and The Southern Foodways Alliance's Gravy podcast. He was also a judge for the 2015 James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Awards. This is his first book.

Simon Thibault's profile page

• Short-listed, Taste Canada Awards: Regional/Cultural Cookbooks
• Short-listed, Gourmand Awards, Canadian Representative

"Thibault's deep yet heartfelt investigation of the cuisine is a standout among Canadian cookbooks published this year." —Quill & Quire Book of the Year (Toronto, ON)

"Thibault's book reminds us of not only the importance of Acadian history to Canada, but of the importance of foodways to history." —Chatelaine magazine (Toronto, ON)

"This beautiful cookbook is both sentimentally specific—featuring hand-written recipes and photographs from Thibault's family—and a smart exploration of the tasty, hearty foodstuffs that nourished and sustained some of Canada's earliest settlers." —The Globe and Mail (Toronto, ON)

"Pantry and Palate is more than a cookbook. It's a story. A story thoughtfully told through prose and recipes ... Each recipe has been lovingly excavated like the individual fragments of a shattered, ancient serving bowl and reconstructed or reinvented thanks to Thibault's intuition and culinary knowledge. Each recipe is easy to follow and understand." —Atlantic Books Today (Halifax, NS)