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poutine
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What is poutine?
Poutine is a Canadian dish originating from 1950s rural Quebec snack bars, featuring french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Its precise origins are debated, with several towns and families laying claim to its creation.
The word poutine may have come from the English word pudding, or the French word pouding, used to describe a mixture of foods. In Quebec, the term poutine is slang for "mess." As poutine's popularity grew, variations emerged, such as Italian poutine (with spaghetti sauce) and veggie poutine (with mushroom sauce and vegetables).
Poutine has become a symbol of Québécois and Canadian culture. It has also been the subject of political spin and satire.
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Where did poutine come from?
Poutine originated in rural Québec, Canada, in the 1950s. Though its exact origins are debated, it appeared in snack bars, combining fresh-cut fries, cheese curds, and gravy.
Several towns and families in Centre-du-Québec claim its creation, with proximity to cheese curd producers being a key factor. Fernand Lachance of Warwick claims he first added curds to fries in 1957, while Jean-Paul Roy of Drummondville says he invented poutine at his drive-in restaurant in 1964.
Poutine gained popularity, spreading to Quebec City by 1969 and Montreal by 1983, eventually becoming a symbol of Québécois and Canadian cuisine.
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What are the main ingredients in poutine?
Poutine is a Canadian dish comprised of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It emerged in rural Quebec snack bars in the 1950s and gained popularity in Canada and beyond in the 1990s. Today, poutine is a recognized symbol of Canadian cuisine and culture, available everywhere from fast-food chains to fine dining restaurants.
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How is poutine traditionally prepared and served?
Poutine is a Canadian dish comprised of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy that emerged in rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. According to Fernand Lachance of Warwick, Quebec, the original poutine was served in a paper bag, with customers adding ketchup or vinegar to customize the dish. Later, to keep the fries from getting cold, gravy was added.
As poutine's popularity grew, it spread to Quebec City in 1969 and Montreal in 1983, becoming a popular street food served from chip trucks in Quebec and Ontario. While the classic Quebecois combination remains popular, variations such as Italian, veggie, and Irish poutine have emerged.
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How has poutine changed with different recipes or toppings?
Poutine originated in rural Quebec snack bars in the 1950s, combining fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Over time, it spread across Canada and beyond, leading to numerous variations.
Some variations include Italian poutine (spaghetti sauce), veggie poutine (mushroom sauce and vegetables), and Irish poutine (lardons). Regional versions include la galvanade (chicken and green peas) and Montreal-style poutine (smoked meat). Chef Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon is credited with elevating poutine to haute cuisine when he introduced foie gras poutine in 2002. Lobster poutine and braised beef poutine have also appeared in high-end restaurants. Even in New York and New Jersey in the 1970s, a version known as "disco fries" used shredded mozzarella.
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Why is poutine considered an important food in Canadian culture?
Poutine is considered an important food in Canadian culture because it is a quintessential symbol of the province of Quebec, where it originated in the 1950s. Poutine is a dish made of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It has become a symbol of Québécois and Canadian cuisine and culture, found everywhere from top restaurants to fast-food chains. The dish has often become the subject of political spin and satire and is often co-opted, appropriated, and stereotyped.
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poutine, a Canadian dish made of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It first appeared in 1950s rural Québec snack bars and was widely popularized across Canada and beyond in the 1990s. Poutine may be found everywhere from fine dining menus at top restaurants to fast-food chains. It has become a symbol of Québécois and Canadian cuisine and culture.
History
While poutine is now available at fine restaurants and fast-food chains alike, it was completely unknown in the mid-20th century. The combination of fresh-cut fries, cheese curds, and gravy first appeared in rural Québec snack bars in the late 1950s. Though the precise origins of poutine are much debated, the dish was developed in stages.
Proximity to fromageries producing cheese curds in Centre-du-QuĂ©bec was one key ingredient. Within the area, several towns and families lay claim to poutineâs creation. In Warwick (near Victoriaville, QC), Fernand Lachance of CafĂ© Ideal (later renamed Le Lutin qui rit) said that he first added curds to fries at the request of Eddy Lainesse, a regular customer, in 1957. Lachance reportedly replied, âĂa va te faire une maudite poutine!â (âThat will make a damned mess!â), before serving up the concoction in a paper bag. The combination became popular, with diners customizing the dish by adding ketchup or vinegar. In 1963, Lachance began to serve the dish on a plate to contain the mess left on his tables. When customers complained that the fries grew cold too quickly on the plate, he doused the fries and curds with gravy to keep the food warm.
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In Drummondville, Jean-Paul Roy claimed that he invented poutine at his drive-in restaurant Le Roy Jucep in 1964. He had been serving fries in a special sauce since 1958, in a dish he called patate-sauce. When he noticed that customers were adding cheese curds (he sold them in bags at his snack counter) to their fries, he added the dish to his regular menu under the name fromage-patate-sauce. Notably, Roy had to travel to Toronto to find a vendor who could provide containers sturdy enough to hold the mixture.
The word poutine is commonly believed to have originated from the English word pudding (or, in French, pouding), used to describe a mixture, typically messy, of various foods. In QuĂ©bec, the term poutine is slang for âmess.â More than a dozen other explanations have been offered, including the root of the French words potin (pĂątĂ©) and poutitĂš (potato ragout).
Proliferation and variations
After the dish gained popularity in the small towns of southeastern Québec, it arrived in Québec City in 1969 (at the Ashton Snack Bar food truck on boulevard Hamel) and in Montréal in 1983. A popular street food, poutine became a common offering on chip truck menus in Québec and Ontario.
As poutineâs popularity spread, various iterations began to appear, such as Italian poutine (made with spaghetti sauce in place of gravy, or sausage), veggie poutine (made with mushroom sauce and vegetables), and Irish poutine (made with lardons). Regional variations included la galvanade from GaspĂ©sie, prepared with chicken and green peas, and MontrĂ©al-style poutine, made with smoked meat, to name but two.
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By the 1970s, a version of the dish appeared as far afield as New York and New Jersey, where it was known as âdisco friesâ and made with shredded mozzarella instead of traditional cheddar cheese curds. Nonetheless, purists consider authentic poutine to be that which contains such âsqueakyâ cheese curds as those produced in the area of its origin.
Mass popularization
Poutine was first sold in a restaurant chain in 1985, by the short-lived QuĂ©bec franchise Frits (the company folded in 1988). In 1987, QuĂ©bec-based Burger King franchisee Jean-Louis Roy convinced the chain to offer poutine on its menu. The dish proved so popular that the brand began selling poutine in all of its QuĂ©bec outlets, and in Hawkesbury, Ontario, the following year. McDonaldâs catapulted poutine to fast-food fame when it added the dish to QuĂ©bec store menus in 1990 before expanding the offering to other Canadian locations. Canadian chain Harveyâs followed suit in 1992, placing poutine on menus across the country.
Specialty poutine chains and restaurants later popped up in Canadian cities, including Smokeâs Poutinerie (2008) and Poutiniâs House of Poutine (2009). Beyond the United States, poutine spread to many countries including the United Kingdom, South Korea, and potato-friendly Russia, where it has been referred to as Raspoutine.
Gourmet poutine
While poutine is for many an unlikely choice for haute cuisine, the sturdy classic became a chef favourite during the comfort food revolution of the 2000s. During the back-to-basics food movement, chefs began creating high-end twists on nostalgic favouritesâincluding hamburgers, mac and cheese, and poutine.
Celebrated Montréal chef Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon was the first to elevate poutine. In 2002, he introduced his often-imitated foie gras poutine, combining high and low Québec cuisine on a single plate.
Gourmet poutines began to appear on menus at high-end restaurants in other cities such as Toronto, where lobster poutine was plated at chef Mark McEwanâs Bymark restaurant and braised beef poutine at chef Jamie Kennedyâs namesake restaurant.