Taste Canada has announced the shortlists for the 2026 Taste Canada Awards.

The national bilingual awards program for culinary writing bestows prizes in both languages in five categories: culinary narratives, general cookbooks, regional / cultural cookbooks, single subject cookbooks and health, lifestyle or special diet cookbooks. Appetite by Random House and Les Éditions de l’Homme garnered the most nominations in the English and French categories, respectively.

Gold and silver winners will be announced on October 25 at an event in Toronto hosted by chef Bob Blumer.

The shortlisted titles in English language category are:

Culinary Narratives

• How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty by Bonny Reichert (Appetite by Random House/PRHC) Review
• Maple Syrup: A Short History of Canada’s Sweetest Obsession by Peter Kuitenbrouwer (Doubleday Canada/Penguin Random House Canada)
• Pacific Palate: Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands by Don Genova (TouchWood Editions)
• Tastes and Traditions: A Journey Through Menu History by Nathalie Cooke (Reaktion Books)
• The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink by Greg Mercer (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada)

General Cookbooks

• Anna Cooks: 125+ Delicious and Achievable Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Anna Olson (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Arthurs: Home of the Nosh: A Big Personality Cookbook of Delicious Jewish Favorites by Raegan Steinberg, Alexander Cohen, and Evelyne Eng (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• The Essential Cottage Cookbook: Simply Delicious Recipes for Cottages, Cabins, and Wherever Your Travels Take You by Andrea Buckett (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• The Recipe Rebel Cookbook: 100+ no-fuss comfort food recipes for people who don’t always follow the rules by Ashley Fehr
• Season and Serve: A Cookbook for All Seasons by Melissa Leung (The Self Publishing Agency)

Regional / Cultural Cookbooks

• Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Indian Food Is Easy: Vibrant, Comforting Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Vijaya Selvaraju (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• La Cucina di Terroni: The Cookbook by Cosimo Mammoliti (Simon & Schuster)
• My Cypriot Table: Mediterranean Recipes for Gathering, Sharing, and Savoring by Irene Matys, (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing by Anna Ansari (DK Publishing/Penguin Random House)

Single Subject Cookbooks

• Bread etc.: Recipes + Techniques for Baking with Sourdough, Yeasted Dough, Pizza Dough + More by Matthew James Duffy (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Crave: Cupcakes, Cakes, Cookies, and More from an Iconic Bakery by Carolyne McIntyre Jackson and Jodi Willoughby (TouchWood Editions/Heritage House)
• My First Recipe Book: Recipes for the Food Kids Really Want to Make (and Eat) by Ricardo Larrivée (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips by Kaitlyn Stewart (Penguin Canada)
• Wood, Fire and Smoke: Recipes and Techniques for Wood-Fired Cooking by Michael Smith (Penguin Canada)

Health, Lifestyle or Special Diet Cookbooks

• Eat to Love: Where Health Meets Flavor: 115+ Nourishing and Adaptable Plant-Forward Recipes from a Nutritional Chef by Mikaela Reuben (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Mouthwatering Sauerkraut: Fermentation made easy! by Holly Howe (Robert Rose)
• My Best Friend Is Gluten-Free: 100+ Asian-Inspired Recipes for Bringing People Together by Jannell Lo (Appetite by Random House/PRHC)
• Tahini Baby, Bright, Everyday Recipes That Happen to Be Vegetarian by Eden Grinshpan (Penguin Canada)
• Two Chefs in the Garden: Over 150 Garden-Inspired Vegetarian Recipes by Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk (Penguin Canada)

The French language nominees are:

Narrations culinaires

• La poutine: Culture et identité d’un pays incertain by Geneviève Sicotte (Presses de l’Université de Montréal)
• Le pawpaw: son histoire et sa culture by Bernard Lavallée (Le Nutritionniste Urbain)
• Steak, Blé d’Inde, Patates: La savoureuse histoire de la gastronomie québécoise by Priscilla Plamondon Lalancette (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• Territoires – Tome 1: Printemps by Fabien Cloutier et Jean-Philippe Leclerc (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• Territoires – Tome 2: Hiver by Fabien Cloutier et Jean-Philippe Leclerc (Les Éditions de l’Homme)

Livres de cuisine générale

• Coffret: Formule magique by Christelle Tanielian (KO Éditions)
• Jean-Piquant: Un peu, beaucoup, piment. 70 recettes brûlantes de plaisir by Jean-Philippe Béland (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• Meal Prep: Efficacité et saveur au fil de nos saisons by Mélanie Marchand (Éditions La Semaine)
• Nos 100 recettes (les meilleures) by Ricardo Larrivée (Éditions La Presse)
• Recevoir by Geneviève O’Gleman (Les Éditions de l’Homme)

Livres de cuisine régionale et culturelle

• Ayiti: Histoires de chefs – 55 recettes haïtiennes by Carla Beauvais (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• FANM FÒ: Hommage aux femmes de ma vie – Récits et recettes by Varda Etienne (Éditions Cardinal)
• Moccione: Histoires et recettes de notre petit resto italien by Luca Cianciulli et Maxime Landry (Éditions Cardinal)
• Nostalgies: 100 desserts rétro revisités by Antoine Goulet et Philippe Dickey (Les Éditions de l’Homme)

Livres de cuisine sujet unique

• Carnivore: Secrets de boucherie pour des cuissons parfaites by Dominique Rioux (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• En accord: Cépages, recettes et prises de bec by Lesley Chesterman et Jean Aubry (Éditions Cardinal)
• Magiques boulettes by Hubert Cormier (Saint-Jean Éditeur)
• MIELS: a cuisine au miel by Anne-Virginie Schmidt (KO Éditions)
• Plaisirs cocktails: recettes classiques, modernes et creatives by Daphnée Vary Deshaies, (Goélette Éditions)

Livres de cuisine santé, mode de vie ou d’alimentation particulièr

• Air Fryer tout végé: 75 recettes santé et crousti-fun! by Alexandra Diaz (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• La table d’Éline: 100 recettes véganes du quotidien by Éline Bonnin (Les Éditions de l’Homme)
• Les raccourcis de Loounie by Caroline Huard (KO Éditions)
• Régime Méditerranéen 2: poissons, fruits de mer et plats typiques by Nathalie Verret (Les Publications Modus Vivendi)
• Santé Hormonale Au Féminin: 21 jours de menus by Alexandra Leduc (Les Publications Modus Vivendi)

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