Though not technically Canada’s official food, poutine—which consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy—is arguably one of the Great White North’s most distinctive contrivances. There’s even a holiday for it: International Poutine Day is celebrated on April 11th each year.

Who Invented Poutine?

Though no one knows its specific genesis, poutine is widely believed to have been invented in rural Quebec sometime during the 1950s.

What Does Poutine Mean?

Its name comes from a Quebecois slang word meaning “mess,” and one popular story posits that Warwick restaurateur Fernand Lachance created it in 1957 at the request of longtime customer Eddy Lainesse. While making the dish, Lachance is said to have exclaimed, Ca va faire une maudite poutine! (Roughly translated: “It will make a damn mess!”).

While Lachance’s is among the most popularly cited tales, other restaurants in towns throughout Quebec lay similar claims on the beloved concoction.

Add Some Squeaky Cheese

For those not hailing from Canada or a bordering state, cheese curds, also known as “squeaky cheese,” may require some explanation. Cheese curds are rough little peanut-sized lumps of fresh, young cheese.

Curds are what happens when the cream in milk separates from the watery whey and begins to solidify. The difference between curds and the more commonly consumed blocks of cheese is that hard cheeses are pressed into molds and allowed to age for several weeks or months.

Because they haven’t been pressed or stretched, the curds also contain a higher quantity of air than other cheeses, causing them to squeak when bitten into.

Cheese curds are commonly sold across Canada and the northern United States but can be harder to find the farther you travel from the Canadian border. The specialty cheese section of your supermarket or an upscale grocer may stock them, just ask.

Junk Food? Hardly!

While some decry poutine as mere junk food, its place in the hearts of Canadians, as well as many Americans, is undisputed. The dish even has its own festival during the first week of February each year, with celebrations in Montreal and other major cities across Canada.

Once the province of food trucks and greasy spoon diners, the dish is now experiencing a Renaissance, with poutine-themed restaurants serving gourmet variations, ranging from lobster poutine to Jamaican jerk poutine, and everything in between.

Want to try it? Poutine is easy to make, and if you can’t find fresh cheese curds in your area, you can substitute diced mozzarella. And, of course, with these recipes, you can use packaged french fries, rather than making them from scratch, if you are pressed for time.

Classic Poutine Recipe

Sweet Potato Poutine

Vegan Poutine

Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.

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