Poutinology
- Annemarie Bolduc
- Jun 23, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
More than fries, gravy and cheese, a poutine is a Québec cultural touchstone.
Living abroad means moments of homesickness, and for most expatriated Canadians, especially from Québec, this is the best food remedy! Not that it is impossible to make homemade poutine, but outside Québec’s dairy and cheese makers' zone, it can be challenging. This probably sounds like a funny thing if you’ve never lived or travelled in La Belle Province*... but I will do my best to make a good description of our humble and favourite greasy dish.
How to make an authentic classic poutine is basically:
French Fries: double deep-fried unpeeled potatoes (avoid frozen if you can!). Starchy potatoes (like Russet) and vegetable oil (canola or peanut) are the most suitable. Unlike the big, crispy, light-gold chips generally found in Australia, Québec fries are 1 cm thin, softer, with a dark-gold coat.
Cheese curds: fresh, distinct, unfinished Québec cheddar that makes a “squeak squeak” sound and has a chewy consistency.
Brown Gravy: a rich sauce with a hint of barbecue flavour (varies depending on the chef’s specialty).
Mmmh… yes. Rule number one is never to feel guilty about the calories or even think of a low-fat version if you decide to enjoy one! All poutines are greasy, but the best ones, made with quality ingredients, are perfectly fine once in a while, as long as you don’t have dietary restrictions.
* La Belle Province is a nickname for Québec, but also the name of a fast-food chain that serves poutine among other greasy favourites like club sandwiches, Montreal hot dogs, smoked meat sandwiches and souvlakis.
The poutine dish has advanced in Canadian popular food culture since the 70s. But it comes from the province of Québec, where the fromage en grain (cheese curds) sold as unfinished cheddar originates. Some sources say the word “poutine” would come from the English term “pudding”, and many towns in the province’s centre dispute the invention of the dish. In the town where I was born (Thetford Mines), in my childhood, it was called a “mixte”. I only discovered the word “poutine” when we moved to the Montréal region. At that time, in the early 90s, the only variations available in most restaurant menus were the “Regular,” the “Italian” (with Bolognese-style sauce instead of gravy), and sometimes the “Galvaude” (with a topping of chicken breast and green peas).
Years later, that simple mix that is poutine has evolved into a versatile gastronomic trend, and I witnessed this while living in Montréal. A little 24h fast-food place my friends and I used to love, called La Banquise, is now so popular that over the years, having a late snack there became just impossible… Locals, students and visitors line up for hours until sunrise (to prevent the hangover, they say!). They extended the seating area over time. Poutine, once known as pure junk food found only in old snack bar-style casse-croûtes (greasy spoon diners and roadside canteens), has since elevated to resto-bars (pubs), trendy bistros, modern food trucks, and even fine dining restaurants. There are countless variations that chefs have a blast creating specials with. Some are using sophisticated ingredients and extra toppings like braised beef, smoked meat, duck confit, pulled pork, chorizo, seafood, foie gras, blue cheese, vegan cheese, and more. Yum!
Since the dish boomed as a trend in the early 2000s, it has become quite a phenomenon and is now known around the world. Bruno Blanchet, a French Canadian comedian, actor and author, travelled the globe and started a new life in Thailand. He and his wife opened a poutine restaurant called Poutine sans Frontières in Bangkok, and many expatriated Canadians have done similar things. Poutine festivals are celebrated in Québec and around the globe, even in Melbourne. An international event called La Poutine Week showcases each year’s most creative, untraditional poutines from participating restaurants.
I have developed my "Mission Impossible Poutine", which is the most delectable thing ever (I reckon!). It’s pretty simple: just fresh truffle shavings on a regular poutine, but finding both fresh cheese curds and Black Périgord truffles at the same time can be a special thing!
Mission Impossible truffle poutine • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2018
Braised beef, pork and duck are among the most popular hearty poutine toppings in Québec. Pulled pork and poutine are festival food truck favourites, and you can have both in one! My Cider Pulled Pork recipe is another delicious creation, slow-cooked with produce from our local terroir. I made this one below with air-fried potatoes from the garden, mozzarella cheese, gravy, pulled pork, garlic chives and black pepper.
Pulled pork poutine and apple cider • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021
HOME COOKING TIPS
Creating authentic poutine at home, from scratch outside Québec, can be a bit of an effort, and normally, when you crave one, you don’t really feel like cooking and want something quick. The laziest way is to do the assembly at home: buy takeaway chips or frozen fries, some cheese, and heat a gravy mix. In regional Australia, it’s a little difficult. I’ve never really found french fries that I like, as most restaurants or take-out “chippies” serve frozen ones. For a better result, you have to make your own, either in an oil or air fryer, or by baking bâtonnets (stick-cut) potatoes in the oven. You will rarely find fresh curd cheese outside Québec, as it’s quite exceptional when cheesemakers successfully reproduce it elsewhere. Some expats are devoted enough to make cheese curds from milk, and I’ve done it successfully. It takes a whole day to make, though! You can substitute poutine cheese with mozzarella or grated cheddar, but this will then become more like “loaded fries” (an Aussie pub-style dish), which is similar in a way but not quite the same. As for gravy, if not using a commercial mix, you’ll need to make it from stock, flour, and flavour ingredients.
I’ve worked on homemade poutine recipes, with every element made from scratch to capture the true taste of the classic ones from home. All of it is featured in my cookbook Québec Kitchen Abroad!
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