Poutine, The Canadian Comfort Food

I've had a lot of great regional comfort foods but Poutine is one that has so far eluded me. Invented in Quebec (Canada's Texas), Poutine consists of fries topped with cheese curd and brown gravy. It's cheap and supposedly delicious--especially with a little bacon on top.

Photo from Art of Backpacking.

--Spanno

Comments

[Alan on April 22, 2009 at 04:52 PM]

Canada's 'Texas'?

[Spanno on April 22, 2009 at 04:56 PM]

Quebec always talks aboot seceding.

[Mike Johnson on April 22, 2009 at 05:52 PM]

Please don't compare Quebec to Texas. I'd rather think of it as North America's France. How many gay friendly places does Texas have? How much cheese is made in Texas? Does Texas make cider?

[Honolulu Mom on April 22, 2009 at 05:53 PM]

Can get them in Baltimore...without the cheese curds. Not bad.

[mx on April 22, 2009 at 08:11 PM]

Poutine is amazing, one of my favorite comfort foods. There are dozens of regional variants, but the essence is the same: steamy, gooey, savory. And most of the fast food restaurants in Canada sell it too (though it doesn't compare to real fresh cut fries, real gravy, and real curds). I've had a similar dish in various parts of the US: fries, cheddar, and beef (under various names).

And yes, Quebec is sort of like a Texas and a New York mashed into one (the good parts of NY, and the funny parts of TX). Calgary is also a Texas (but more the cow-and-oil filled parts).

[Half Canadian on April 23, 2009 at 10:24 AM]

Quebec is a liberal's Texas. Talks about seceeding, but hooked on government aid and tilts left on social issues.

Eating poutine left a lead weight in my gut, so I don't care for it. But fries and gravy are a wonderful thing.

[Phelps on April 23, 2009 at 10:46 AM]

Streaky bacon or back bacon?

[Jason on April 23, 2009 at 02:22 PM]

In Canada they even serve it at McDonald's and (I think) KFC. It's so close, but just out of reach. I wish they put it on their menu here.

[Barry on April 24, 2009 at 09:26 AM]

I like Canada, I really do. For lots of reasons. But this is a stretch.

[anderson on April 26, 2009 at 08:10 PM]

Yup Quebec truly is Canada's Texas. Both want to separate, secede. Outside of the city of Montreal they are not as progressive as they would like to think they are or would have you believe they are. People outside of the city of Montreal are very conservative. Poutine is not bad.

[Soulsu on April 27, 2009 at 07:38 AM]

Definitely poutine. Definitely not Canada's Texas!

[SunTsusnephew on May 01, 2009 at 02:34 PM]

If you want real, really good poutine, the only place to go is Jacks truck on Rideau near Chapel, in Ottawa.

Great fries, gravy and really squeaky curds! The best. The crap in Quebec? Not fit for frogs...

[Americalex on September 22, 2009 at 04:44 PM]

Hi,

I'm from Quebec, and yes Quebec is Canada's Texas! Thanks for that analogy! Poutine is ULTRA FAST FOOD alright lol

All those angry puppies who want to hate Quebec cause we speak french, go find out that we're in fact norsemen who speak our own unique dialect of french!

And we DO serve the same purpose within Canada as Texas serves in the USA. We are the social organism within the social organism. We are the white cells, when the country goes fubar we go postal!

Quebec & Texas have their own independent energy grid (and are the only ones like that in North America). Quebecers are botched friendly barbarians. Texans are botched friendly cowboys. It's close enough.

Quebec is a massive energy exporter...Texas is a massive energy exporter.

Texas is America's center for aerospace industries.. Quebec is Canada's center for aerospace industries.

To wrap it up. Texans and Quebecers need to get together and figure out a game plan to wreck to stupid socialist/commies who have taken over our countries! I call for a New Continental Congress! FTW!

Cheers!

Americalex

[canoodian on October 20, 2010 at 08:31 AM]

Alberta is Canada's Texas: oil, cowboys, cows....

Texas by and large does not want to secede, though it was an independent country for 10 years and currently has an economy large enough that it could become independent (which is something Quebec could never do).

and by the bye, Texas does have many gay friendly places, particularly in Dallas, Houston and Austin.