Walk down a street after a night out in Montréal , and you ’d be firmly - compact not seeing someone tuck into a plate of poutine , a classic staple fiber of Québécoiscasse - croûtes — or “ greasy spoon”—cuisine .
What is poutine?
The scrumptious Canadian stunner is comprised of a holy - hosertrinity of ingredients : French fries , cheese curd , and gold rush . Try some yourself and you ’ll be hooked .
Much like the debate in the U.S. about the root of thehamburger , poutine has similarly unreadable beginnings . The most widespreadclaimfor inventing poutine comes from the modest dairy - farming town of Warwick , Québec , where , in 1957 , a customer asked restaurateur Fernand Lachance to bedevil cheese curds and Gallic fries — items the owner sold separately at his eatery L’Idéal ( later on renamed Le lutin qui rit , or “ The Laughing Elf”)—together in one bag because the client was in a rush . Legend has it when Lachance peer into the bag after the two component were mixed together , he comment , “ This is a ‘ poutine , ’ ” using thejoual — or Québécois slang — for a “ mess . ”
Noticeably missing from Lachance ’s cobbled - together formula is the gravy ingredient , which was add to the mix in 1964 when a restaurant - proprietor in nearby Drummondville , Québec , namedJean - Paul Roynoticed a few of his diners regulate a side of cheese curd to sum up to the patented boom sauce and fries dish up at his eating place , Le Roy Jucep . Roy shortly added the three - factor point on his menu and the rest is delectable , bunce - fleece account .
Where to Find Poutine
Eventually , poutinespreadacross Québec and throughout Canada — with different compounding added to the fries , curds , and gravy formula — but the original persist the most recognized and honored . The dish has become soubiquitousin its home province that evenMcDonald’sandBurger Kingsell it as a side .
Traditional poutine is also pronto available at sure restaurants in the U.S. ( Lucky New Yorkers , for example , can get their hands on some at Brooklyn restaurantMile End . ) In New Jersey , diner can feed on an altered poutine recipe known as “ Disco Fries , ” which substitutes shredded Armerican cheddar or mozzarella cheese for the Canadian curd .
But if you ever find yourself in Montréal and have a hankering for greasy solid food , be certain to order it aright . Anglophones usually label the Logos as “ poo - teen , ” but if you need to pass for a real Québécois , it ’s pronounced “ poo - can . ”
A interlingual rendition of this story in the beginning ran in 2013 ; it has been updated for 2021 .
