How to make a true Canadian Poutine

Posted on May 23, 2009  •  3 minutes  • 427 words

If you’ve ever been to Canada, or have ever met a Canadian, you’re sure to have heard of poutine. Canadians have invented many things, the telephone, the retractable beer carton handle, Superman, but none of them compare to the unique ingenuity that came with poutine. However, If you’ve never heard of poutine, then you are in for a treat. It’s one of the few Canadian Dishes we have to call our own. Whenever I travel I spread the heavenly taste of poutine to any person who is talking about their home dishes. “Oh, you’re from Italy, and you invented pizza? So what! We made poutine! You say you’re from France and you invented the baguette? Who cares! We made poutine! Oh, you’re from Columbia, and you invented Cocaine? That crap is for sissies. We made poutine!” I follow that by a quick apology for my rudeness, and explain that poutine gets me really excited. The history of poutine is complicated, every small town in Quebec has claimed to have invented it. Battles continue to this day as to who invented it. Whatever the case may be, Quebec is the Mother to this one, birthed sometime in the 1950’s. And the world is a better place because of it. The complexities of a good Canadian poutine are few and far between. Below is a step by step poutine recipe that will rock your socks, and thighs.

Step 1. Bake or fry a good serving of fries Step 2. Prepare your gravy (I prefer peppercorn gravy for the extra kick, but any will do) Step 3. Keep the gravy nice and hot (don’t burn it) until the fries are finished. Step 4. Have Cheese curds ready, and if you really want to clog even more arteries, have some extra Grated Cheese for a little extra awesomeness. Step 5. Place finished fries on a large dish, cover the fries thoroughly with cheese curds and grated cheese. Pour the gravy liberally over the cheese and fries combo. Step 6. Stop drooling and dig in!

It seems to me that every picture of poutine I’m able to find doesn’t seem to do it justice. Perhaps it’s the colours, or the all around “mess” of everything. But I assure you, when the smell of melting cheese and hot gravy over some salty fries hits your nostrils, every inch of your body will yearn to have it inside of you. And yes, that was a sexual innuendo. Now go make a poutine!

Technorati Tags: Poutine ,Canadian Food ,Canadian Dishes ,Best food in the world