Poutine

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Poutine (French pronunciation [putiːn], in Quebec French: [pʊtsɪn]) is a fast food specialty popular in Canada. It consists of French fries, cheese curds and gravy poured on top and is eaten with a fork (not fingers).

The potatoes tend to be coarser cut than regular fries and are sometimes double fried, making the outside crispy while the inside remains soft. Sometimes unpeeled potato slices are also used.

Mozzarella or other cheeses are occasionally used as a substitute for the traditional cheese curds, which are not available in some areas.

Additionally, a poutine can be enhanced with other ingredients, such as onions or breakfast bacon.

Poutine was probably invented in rural Québec in the mid-1950s. Several towns in this Canadian province lay claim to being the birthplace of poutine, including Drummondville and Victoriaville. According to a popular version, the first poutine was created in the small town of Warwick when, in 1957, regular Eddy Lainesse ordered fries with curds (or cheese curds) from Le Café Ideal operator Fernand Lachance. Lachance reportedly responded, "Ça va faire une maudite poutine" ("This is going to be a giant mess"). The gravy is said to have been added later to keep the fries warm longer. Over time, the dish spread throughout the province and eventually the country.

However, there are also various assumptions about the etymology of poutine. Linguists, on the other hand, suspect a relationship to the Occitan poutringo ("all kinds of things") or also to the Provençal poutingo ("leftover stew"). Also an influence of the English pudding is not excluded. The first evidence for the current sense of the word dates from 1978.

Today, poutine is widespread throughout Canada. It is now also offered there at McDonald's and Burger King.