The Traditional Newfoundland Kitchen

Pickavance, who moved to Newfoundland from Wales in 1968 as a young man, celebrates traditional Newfoundland cooking in this thorough collection of historical recipes. The book is well organized and clearly written and opens with three chapters explaining the Canadian province’s culinary history. He closely examines the importance of root cellars, which had to be built below the frost line. Twenty subsequent chapters offer 500 relatively simple recipes for breads, vegetables, soups and dumplings, salt meats, sweet pies, and, of course, the Newfoundland staple, cod: prepared as fish filets, in stews, boiled, and in fish cakes. Even cod tongues are pan fried. Other seafood includes eel (stewed with onions) and salmon (stuffed with onion, thyme, and bread crumbs). Meat dishes include rabbit stew, roast chicken, and fried veal. For desserts, Pickavance suggests partridgeberry pie, ginger biscuits, and baked custard. Though not for everyday cooking, Pickavance’s volume is a solid history of traditional, hearty Newfoundland dishes. (Aug.)