Travel bites: The Canadian dish you’ve probably been eating wrong

You’ve probably heard of poutine – Canada’s calorific, unofficial national dish. You might have even tried it. But, chances are, if you haven’t done your research – you’ve had a cheap imposter lacking its most important, squeaky little ingredient.

Poutine can be found all over Canada, in many different forms – from high-end restaurants, to McDonald’s and Burger King. Though its price point may differ, the key ingredients remain the same: French fries, a rich, brown gravy and a hearty pile of cheese curds.

Emerging in Quebec, Canada’s only French-speaking province, in the late 1950s, the dish has become a symbol of Quebecois cuisine and one of Canada’s most well-known culinary exports.

But it’s the cheese curds that make poutine the dish that it is. And there’s a reason most “poutine” dishes outside of Canada will just scatter some cheddar cheese, or mozzarella (shock, horror) on top and call it a day.

Cheese curds are made from fresh (usually), pasteurised milk, to which cheese culture and rennet are added. When the milk curdles, it is cut into cubes and then cooked and pressed, to remove the whey from the curd. The finished product is known for its distinctive “squeak.”

Given that curds are, in essence, just cubes of curdled milk, there are specific rules around storing them – which is why these can be so hard to get.

Canada’s National Dairy Code dictates that cheese curds can only be sold at room temperature for 24 hours after they’re made. After that, they must be refrigerated – which is the death knell for these little pillows of dairy. Once they’re refrigerated, they lose their “squeak,” and thus, lose the interest of any self-respecting Canadian consumer.

But though the ingredients are specific, the dish itself is remarkably simple. Cheese curds should be scattered, generously, across a healthy pile of medium-cut fries and then smothered with hot gravy – giving those gloriously squeaky curds ample opportunity to transform into a gooey mess.

You’ll find some kind of iteration of poutine in any province in Canada, but for the best you need to visit Quebec.

In Montreal, you’ll be hard-pressed to pick a favourite in a city with dozens of celebrated poutineries. La Banquise is the city’s most well-known, offering a 30-strong smorgasbord of inventive takes on poutine.

Take, for example, the La Sud-Ouest – a classic poutine with bacon, red onions, guacamole, onion rings and Chipotle sauce – or the L’Obelix – topped with Montreal smoked meat.

And, if you want a second helping, you’re in the right neighbourhood. Because right across the road is fellow crazy-popular eatery Ma Poule Mouillee – a Portuguese restaurant that is just as famous for its poutine as its perfectly-spiced roasted chicken. The poutine here is served with a heaping pile of chicken and chorizo, and the small size is enough for at least two people – so bring a friend.

For a classic plate in a favourite local haunt, however, you can’t go past Chez Claudette in the hip Le-Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood. The poutines at this cheap, cosy diner are beloved for their signature gravy. See: ;

Poutine isn’t easy to come by here in Aotearoa, at least in its most authentic form, but if you’re in Palmerston North, you can try it at Beaver and Bear, the Canadian-style restaurant that began its life as a food truck.

Rest assured, there’s no cheddar or mozzarella to be found here. Co-founder Brooke Argyle told last year that it took them four months to source cheese curds for their poutine, and they’re not telling where they got them from. See: