Patrick Oconnell
Poutine is a Canadian dish, originating in Quebec in the 1950s, consisting of French fries topped with cheese and gravy. While you can use any type of cheese you want, cheese curds are very traditional for making poutine. They are big and stretchy, and they melt into the gravy. If you can't get hold of cheese curds, you can use mozzarella or mild cheddar, although technically it's not poutine without the curds.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of cheese | Cheese curds |
| Substitutes | Chunks of full-fat block mozzarella, cubes of very mild cheddar |
| Texture | Stretchy |
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What You'll Learn
Poutine originated in Quebec in the 1950s
Poutine is a Québécois dish made of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It originated in Quebec in the 1950s, although the exact origin is debated. It is pronounced 'poo-teen' or 'poo-tin' in English and 'poo-tsin' in Quebec.
The traditional recipe consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy (not mozzarella cheese). The gravy melts the cheese for the ultimate taste experience. While you can use any type of cheese you want, cheese curds are very traditional for making poutine. They are big and stretchy!
The first secret to a good French fry is to make sure you use the right potatoes. High-starch potatoes like Idaho potatoes (also called Russet potatoes) are the best because they’re dense and have the least amount of moisture. As soon as you cut the potatoes into strips, transfer them to a bowl of cold water with a tablespoon of lemon juice. This will prevent the potatoes from going brown.
Poutine was first served in 1950s rural Quebec snack bars and was widely popularized across Canada and beyond in the 1990s. The most prevailing theory regarding the origin of poutine brings us to 1957 rural Quebec and the small dairy farming town of Warwick. It is said that a customer asked Fernand Lachance, the restaurateur of Le Café Idéal (later Le Lutin qui rit), to put a handful of cheese curds in a take-out bag of French fries. Lachance is said to have exclaimed, "ça va faire une maudite poutine!", which translates to "it will make a damn mess!".
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Poutine is made with French fries, cheese curds and gravy
Poutine is a Canadian dish made with French fries, cheese curds and gravy. It originated in Quebec in the 1950s, although its true origin is debated.
The French fries are usually made with high-starch potatoes like Idaho or Russet potatoes, which are dense and have the least amount of moisture. The potatoes are cut into strips and transferred to a bowl of cold water with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. They are then fried in oil.
The cheese curds are big and stretchy, and they melt when mixed with the hot gravy. Cheese curds are considered essential for authentic poutine, but if you can't find them, you can substitute with chunks of full-fat block mozzarella cheese or cubes of very mild cheddar.
The gravy is usually a rich brown gravy, and it can be made ahead of time and reheated for serving.
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Cheese curds are the traditional choice of cheese
Cheese curds are not always easy to find, depending on where you live. If you can't get hold of them, you can substitute with cubes or chunks of very mild cheddar or mozzarella. However, technically, if it's not made with cheese curds, it's not poutine.
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If you can't find cheese curds, you can use mozzarella or mild cheddar
Traditional poutine is made with cheese curds, which are big and stretchy. However, if you can't find cheese curds, you can use mozzarella or mild cheddar. If you're going for mozzarella, it's best to use the kind you'd shred to put on top of pizza, torn into chunks rather than shredded. This is because the chunks won't melt completely, which is part of the poutine experience. If you use shredded mozzarella, it will melt completely and mix in with the gravy.
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Poutine can be made with homemade or frozen fries
A traditional poutine recipe consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Cheese curds are key for authentic poutine. They are big and stretchy. However, if you can't get cheese curds, you can substitute them with cubes of very mild cheddar or mozzarella. Mozzarella cheese chunks are the closest possible substitution for the poutine experience. You want it in chunks so it doesn't melt completely.
For the fries, waffle fries, wedge fries, string fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries are sometimes used, but good old French fries are traditional. The first secret to a good French fry is to make sure you use the right potatoes. High-starch potatoes like Idaho potatoes (also called Russet potatoes) are the best because they're dense and have the least amount of moisture. As soon as you cut the potatoes into strips, transfer them to a bowl of cold water with a tablespoon of lemon juice. This will prevent the potatoes from going brown. Use the right oil for frying French fries.
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Frequently asked questions
Traditional poutine is made with cheese curds.
Cheese curds are big and stretchy. They are made from high-starch potatoes like Idaho potatoes (also called Russet potatoes).
If you can't get hold of cheese curds, you can substitute them with cubes of very mild cheddar or mozzarella. However, it is technically not poutine if it's not made with cheese curds.
Poutine is made with French fries and gravy.
Traditional poutine is made with French fries, but you can also use waffle fries, wedge fries, string fries, tater tots or sweet potato fries.
