National Dish of Canada - Poutine Recipes - Chefs Plate (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional food of Canada poutine? ›

Poutine, which was invented in Quebec in the 1950s, is a Canadian dish composed of fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy. "Poutine" is a Quebecois slang word that means "mess."

What is Poutine? Poutine is Canada's national dish, which usually consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy.

History of Poutine

The dish started becoming popular in the U.S. during the late 1970s, although it was called "disco fries" in America. The dish was popular in New Jersey and New York, and it was usually consumed after a long night of partying and dancing, hence the "disco" in the name.

Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the gravy. All-purpose flour: Equal parts flour and butter are combined to create a roux. This is what makes the gravy so thick and creamy! Beef broth: Use reduced sodium beef broth to prevent an overly salty gravy.

Poutine originated in Warrick, Quebec in the 1950s. It's a very simple recipe of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. The heat from the gravy melts the cheese to create a ridiculously delicious melty dish.

Cultural significance and controversy. While the exact provenance of poutine remains contested, its birthplace is unquestionably Québec. The dish has come to be a quintessential symbol of the province. And like all symbols, it is often co-opted, appropriated, and stereotyped.

At this point, the milk is legally pasteurized. (Raw or unpasteurized milk is banned in the United States, but luckily, cheese curds are 100 percent legal!)

Poutine is usually enjoyed as a main or as a side dish. Eat it with some roasted veggies, a side salad, or some freshly baked dinner rolls.

Their popularity quickly spread to England and to North America, but the terminology did not. The English adopted the word chips to refer to fried potatoes, and that term remains the choice today in England and Canada for what Americans call french fries.

A large poutine, incredibly high in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined carbs, can raise the triglyceride levels in your blood for 6-12 hours after consumption. Triglyceride levels will rise even higher if you have alcohol in your system, which most people eating a late-night poutine probably do.

Does Canadian Costco have poutine? ›

The Canadian Costco food court also apparently offers poutine, the popular Quebec entree of french fries covered in cheese curds and gravy. The American Costco food court doesn't offer fries at all, which came as a surprise to several Canadian Redditors.

So what does this combination of fries, gravy and cheese taste like? No surprise here, but it's delicious! The french fries provide crispness and saltiness—two must-haves for any savory snack. The cheese is mellow and creamy.

There are versions of poutine that have meat, but the standard, “classic” poutine is only fries, gravy, and cheese curds.

Poutine made with thick beef gravy on french-fried potatoes with fresh cheese curds is a style commonly found outside Quebec. The texture, temperature and viscosity of poutine's ingredients differ and continuously change as the food is consumed, making it a dish of highly dynamic contrasts.