YES / OUI, POUTINE!
In Quebec where this dish originated, poutine is pronounced "pooTIN" and in English Canada where it has now spread, poutine is pronounced "pooTEEN."
Poutine consists of beautiful greasy French fries smothered in beef gravy and cheese curds.
That's right -- cheese curds, as in Little Miss Muffet's "curds and whey." Cheese curds are rubbery and kind of squeaky when you eat them. They are crucial to the dish because cheese curds do not melt very much from the heat of the fries and gravy and so retain their shape and chewiness. Sometimes bad restaurants or evil people will try to pass off fake poutine with grated or cubed cheese (typically mozzarella) but accept no substitutes! Ugh, that messy melted cheese -- not legit!
And of course, I was just kidding about the health food aspect of poutine. If you ever visit Canada, don't let us BS you that way, eh?
Poutine, of course, is horrifyingly but deliciously high in fat and calories --
But on the upside, poutine is still healthier than certain other bad habits you could acquire.
It's pretty easy to find poutine being sold now in every province of Canada.
Even McDonald's serves poutine up here.
Canadians love poutine so much, we've decided to change the words of "O Canada" to celebrate what has become our National Dish --
uh, no thanks; you can keep your poutine. I quit eating fries many years ago; the grease and my stomach do not get along.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That looks delicious! What evil genius mastermind came up with this concoction?
ReplyDeleteLove the fries. Hate the gravy and cheese. It's a hot mess which is loved around the country. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like something that could kill you within the same day of eating. Cheese whats? My people consider potatoes and onions the only vegetables as well...
ReplyDeletelol,,, I love it,, I do.
ReplyDeleteLove fries. Love gravy. Cheese curds? Might be an acquired taste!
ReplyDeleteAnd why did McDonald's call them McPoutine?
I'm still mulling over whether I like the idea of that food combination...
ReplyDeleteAs a lover of French Fries& Malt vinegar, this is desecration to the Potatoe! Living here in North Bay, short drive to Quebec ( only for cheap beer) it's everywhere. I have concluded that they cannot cook French fries properly, so float them in can mystery gravey and whatever those white things are? You will know me right away at chip stand....I'm the one yelling " how hard is it to deep fry a Potatoe anyway!
ReplyDelete😂👍🇨🇦
Mmm. Poutine. I am drewling
ReplyDeleteNow I know why Canadians are so nice, all that poutine!
ReplyDeleteI like my pouTIN with ketchup too! :)
ReplyDeletepoutine (my friends in quebec pronounce it...pootan)is the best thing ever. most restaurants around here have it on the menu now. in quebec, it's often served with sliced hot dogs on top.
ReplyDeleteI prefer fries unadulterated, but only have them may once or twice a year anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh now, this is a fresh hell of delicious looking trouble
ReplyDeleteHi Debra...
ReplyDeleteI am probably the biggest potato lover E V E R !
But...I have never had Poutine!!!
It just doesn't appeal to me!
The gravy....Y E S...but the cheesey curds...E W W W W !!
Have a great day!!
Cheers!
Linda :o)
Yum! And I loved the "Toy Story" graphic! *smiles*
ReplyDeleteFun post. Great way to start my day without actually eating poutine ;o)
We don't see poutine in Massachusetts. However when I was in college I went to a diner in New Jersey that served it. It would be considered fake though. There was some sort of shredded cheese melted over it.
ReplyDeleteit's on my bucket list..but then half of the stuff on my bucket list pertains to Canada and my Canaderian friends.
ReplyDeleteOOOOHhhhh. Another thing to put on my Bucket List. It may be the last thing on the bucket list...but, cheese curds. Gravy. Fries! Sweet Louise!
ReplyDeleteHAHAAAHAHAAAAHAHAHAAAA!!
ReplyDeleteI don't care what they say about you, that's funny.
I felt a couple of my arteries harden. My heart tried to run away to the gym. I told them to stop being such cowards. Well all must die of something. Might as well taste good.
ReplyDeleteI don't do cheese (except in cheese cake) but chips and gravy in a northern delicacy in the UK. Asking for it in the South is like asking a French chef for ketchup!
ReplyDeleteFries and gravy played a small part in the movie Diner, set in Baltimore. I wonder if poutine made its way down to Maryland and dropped the curds along the way.
ReplyDeleteUm...Thanks? But I'm gonna pass on the Poutine. I'll take my fries with melted cheddar cheese, bacon and scallions. :-)
ReplyDeleteblessings
~*~
ps...when reading that first pronunciation for poutine all I can think about it Vladmir Putin! :-)
Thanks Debra!! You do this post!! You know I am working out at the gym and trying to be good! LOL! Awwww poutine!! My mouth is watering! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI won't knock it as I haven't tried it. A lot of things don't seem appealing in theory but are awesome in practice. I have to question whether it's actually healthier than crystal meth. (for the record, I haven't tried that either) BUT with Crystal Meth you lose weight (along with your teeth but that is neither here nor there) and have increased energy...so I hear. I haven't heard that it would cause vascular disease such as high fat foods do but then I haven't checked with the medical community to confirm that. I'll get back to you.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, poo-teen is an acquired taste such as collard greens are in the South US or liver and onions (barf) are as described by a lot of older people that swear I would love it if I tasted it the way their mother cooks it.
I need to try this. Badly.
ReplyDeleteI think I can live without poutine, but thanks for the information. When I lived in Illinois, a lot of people ate what were called horseshoes or ponyshoes (maybe the ponyshoe was smaller). It was a hamburger on a bun covered with french fries and cheese and God only knows what else. I never tried one.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
it looks good except for the chewy cheese..not sure about that...
ReplyDeleteTexas has a hunting season on Mourning Dove...much like a pigeon but smaller.
A lot of people love eating them..not me...I don't do wild meats or fish...
Oh my, that looks like vomit. I'll pass thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe got the poutine down here in Manitou Springs Colorado! Many years ago, I remember being baffled as a ninth grader, having just moved to Toronto from the States, by the gravy the lunch lady plopped all over my fries. I was like "what's this crap and where is the ketchup?" However, I soon learned to appreciate those loonie Canadian ways!
ReplyDeleteI bet Trump would like this, after all his best friend is Russian President Voldemort Poutine
ReplyDeleteHmmm - now I want to visit Canada to trip poutine. :)
ReplyDeleteThose bridesmaids in the last photo are wearing the same dress I wore in my sister's wedding in 1979. They sure haven't changed much since then, I see.
Oops - I meant in the photo below this post. :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha. I love poutine but of course it is so addictive that no way it could be good for you. My favorite was from a street vendor near Parliament Hill in Ottawa who hardly ever changes his frying oil (yummm ...extra flavor and badness). Seriously, I miss binging on it. Can't get cheese curds in Malaysia either.
ReplyDeleteOh my god! my kind of food this poutine!
ReplyDeleteBut where's the meat?!
Fries and gravy are bad enough..why worry about the cheese?? Guess I'll have to find some and try it..
ReplyDeleteLOL ~ I've never tasted this oh so Canadian dish. It must have been a French Canadian secret while I still lived in Canada. Now I don't dare try it, because I know I would love it. Have a good one!
ReplyDeleteI know they aren't the same thing at all but part of me is still salty about poutine becoming so popular when the UK has had chips and cheese with gravy for years. We just didn't have a cool name for it.
ReplyDeleteProper pronunciation is "pootzine", with a "consonne affriquée". And it sounds exactly like Putin should sound like in Russian, apparently. Quebec's contribution to junk food... Unapologetic one. And finding truly good poutine is tricky. I have seen it once on an English pub's menu, but they stopped serving it now. And they had to explain what it was.
ReplyDeleteWell, fuck. I am having Swiss chard for dinner. Swiss chard, Debra! And now I want poutine.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, we spent a week in Montreal and managed to not eat any poutine the entire time. God, I wanted to, but the Missus was my conscience, reminding me about my cholesterol levels. Spoilsport!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about poutine; but I love chips and gravy.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
i too love the chips not allowed to eat for past few months due to diet plan.
ReplyDeletePoutine, poutine, roly poly poutine, poutine, poutine, eat them up, yum!
ReplyDeleteyeah!
The Canadian version of the loaded fry looks yummy!
I Are Writer!
I didn't know what it was called but when we were in Quebec my daughter ordered this and loved it. She's normally a healthy eating, but then I suppose we can all come off the wagon at some stage.
ReplyDeleteHere in Aberdeen they serve cheese sauce with chips and gravy. I can't think of anything worse... well I suppose I can but you get the gist.
I love fries and gravy - it is delicious! but never had that with cheese? I'm game ... it does look like gooey goodness
ReplyDeleteHave never tried it and probably won't either.....not because it's full of bad fats but because it looks disgusting. It is everywhere here in Halifax!
ReplyDelete'They' (medical people in the know) say that it is now the SUGAR that we should worry about....not the fats.
I've always wanted to try this. It looks amazing. And hell, when it comes to junk food, that's nothing. Make a burger using two donuts as buns like we Americans do, then talk to us.
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh out loud and although I didn't know it existed before... I am hankering for some there that... POUTINE :)
ReplyDeleteI've had poutine and it's worth it!
ReplyDeleteWe have Loaded Fries here. They're covered in chili and cheese. But with diabetes, I haven't had a damn french fry in YEARS.
ReplyDeleteI thought, as a German, I knew everything about potato dishes, but I stand corrected. I had never heard of Poutine before this! And I can't say that they look particularly appetizing - sort of brown in beige. But I'd totally try them since I love everything potato... :) xoxo Silke
ReplyDeleteHealthier than crystal meth? Haha! I'll take an extra serving. Actually, Debra, I remember walking through a mall in Vancouver. I kept seeing ads for poutine, so I had to find out what all the hype was about. For me, the experience was like sex. That is, I didn't understand what all the hype was about. It's likely because I got a bad, bad sample.
ReplyDeletePotatoes are my most favorite food in the history of ever.
ReplyDeletejust checking on ya...you've been awfully quite the last few days..hope everything is ok....
ReplyDeleteNo thanks , my arteries are furring up nicely on their own .
ReplyDeleteLocal big treat is fries with curry sauce , mayonnaise and raw onions . I must confess I don't eat that either , though it's supposed to be just the thing for mopping up excess alcohol . The vitamin C in the onions , perhaps .
Best fatty-artery-clogging food combo ever. And since my hometown is Montreal, there is only one right way to pronounce this: pouTIN :)
ReplyDeleteMany years ago when we lived in Poland we went bowling one night at a state of the art Alley. And of course there was a snack bar - well actually a pub restaurant - that served at your alley. In looking over the menu we discovered that they had ..... poutine! Poutine? in Poland? in 1998? Well of course they did - the guy that owned the place was a second generation Pole from Montreal who had come back to set a new business up.
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