Feasting and Fasting:
Canada’s Heritage Celebrations
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by Dorothy Duncan
If the old adage is correct, and we are indeed what we eat, then Canadians are a rich and diverse lot.
Technically, our country may be only 143 years old — but Canadians have a cuisine that dates back centuries.
Consider the wealth of influences that have shaped our national palate: the earliest food traditions of First Nations; French and British recipes brought here during the first waves of immigration; and the cornucopia of foods familiar to the many immigrant societies that make up the multicultural fabric of today’s Canada.
In her new book Feasting and Fasting, food historian Dorothy Duncan pro vides snapshots of key traditions and celebrations in Canada as seen through the filter of what and how we eat. Drawing on everything from the Order of Good Cheer to traditional Jewish feast days, she sprinkles her analysis with recipes that reflect our diverse culinary heritage.
While the book would have benefited from a larger format and rich colour photos, Feasting and Fasting certainly gives readers plenty of food for thought.
— Mark Collin Reid (Read bio)
Mark Collin Reid is the Editor-in-Chief of Canada's History.