Rappie Pie has been around in our Acadian communities in Nova Scotia for many years. It tops everyone’s list as the favored dish for homecomings, christening, wakes, Christmas and New Years celebrations. The visual aspect is nothing to fuss about when it comes to Rappie Pie, it’s mostly about flavor, tradition and a good measure of Acadian culture and pride in preserving this recipe. First, a little history lesson. As far as where you can get it, Rappie Pie doesn’t exist anywhere else in Canada except in parts of Southwest Nova Scotia, in Clare, Yarmouth, Pubnico, and Wedgeport. Within this region, it’s a household name and featured in many restaurants. Yet, wander out of this geographic area (about a 40-mile radius) and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who’s ever heard of Rappie Pie. Although it’s unquestionably a French-Acadian dish, there are different views about its origin. Some suggest that Rappie Pie was introduced to the Acadian communities after The Deportation in 1755 but prior to the Acadians returning. After they returned to Nova Scotia, the Acadians grew lots of potatoes and it was a natural thing for them to use what they had access to. How do you make a Rappie Pie? Traditionally, you would start with a bucket of potatoes and grate them (using the small holes on a grater), then the grated potato would be wrung out in a cloth bag (or cheesecloth) to remove liquid, leaving only the pulp. Today, companies do this commercially and the pulp can be bought in local grocery stores. One local company in Pubnico, uses the spin cycle on washing machines to extract the liquid. The next step is to cook a chicken in a big pot of water. Making the broth is important, add onions, salt and pepper, add a couple of chicken cubes, celery stalks, a couple chopped carrots and a little summer savoury. When the chicken is cooked, de-bone it and break up into small chunks. Strain the liquid and bring back to a boil. In a large bowl, slowly mix the hot broth into the potato pulp (five pounds of potato pulp will require about 20 cups of broth). Adjust salt and pepper. In a large greased pan (18x12x3 inches) pour half of the potato mixture, then arrange the cooked chicken on top along with three or four chopped onions. Cover with the remaining potato mixture. Dot the top with small chunks of salted pork fat, or dabs of butter. Then cook in a 400-degree oven for three hours. The top should brown up and get nice and crispy. In the olden days, the Acadians often put duck, geese, rabbit, deer, pork — even clams in Rappie Pie. Some still enjoy it this way. Rappie pie is usually served with butter and can be accompanied by chow-chow, cranberry sauce or molasses. Bon Appetite!