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March/april 2019 features the famed wild game supper of Quinan, N.S., and an exploration of British Columbia’s highly active volcano belt
If you’re lucky enough to sample râpure, or rappie pie, you’ll be eating the same stickto-your-ribs dish that the Acadians did during and after their expulsion from Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley in 1755. The fatty, glutinous casserole of grated potato, broth and meat is said to have been born of that era as thrifty Acadian women made use of the rocky and prime potato-growing terrain on the province’s southwestern shore, where many families settled after deportation. Today, you’ll find this dish most often in the kitchens of Acadian cooks and at special community events, such as the annual Quinan Wild Game Evening and Auction in Quinan, N.S. In the March/april issue, Karen Pinchin secures a coveted ticket for that feast, which celebrates the region’s Acadian and Mi’kmaq roots, as well as its British and new-canadian ancestry. She samples three versions of rappie pie — pheasant, rabbit and quahog clam — as well as bear ribs, moose meat, porcupine and other wild game trapped by locals, and comes away with insights and anecdotes about how cuisine and culture are inextricably intertwined. The issue also pays homage to another region’s heritage — Nunavut. Author Michael Kusugak celebrates the 20th anniversary of the territory’s creation and reflects on the past, present and future of its people and communities. Fire and ice round out the issue, as Andrew Findlay explores the active volcanoes that shaped the Garibaldi Belt of mountains in southwestern British Columbia, while photographer Geoff Coombs reveals the spectacular underwater world that freedivers encounter under the frozen surface of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, near Tobermory, Ont. Combined, the March/april issue is a tribute to the ways geography shapes not only our land but our experiences and traditions, too.