Poutine: A dish of Canadian origin made with french fries topped with cheese curd and covered with gravy. When I first heard of its existence, my first question was, why is this not in my belly right now? Oh, 42nd Parallel don’t be so cruel. With all the culinary delights available to me (I can go buy a dish of Cantonese chicken feet right now!) why is this one so hard to come by.
That was then, this is now.
This week The New Yorker published a piece by Calvin Trillin trying to explain the appeal of this concoction. (The New Yorker Out Loud podcast has an interview/sample tasting with Trillin, too.) Poutine is now available across the U.S., mainly in hipster-filled restaurants.
First a few clarifications. Don’t get thrown off by the word “curd.” Just think cheese in little blocks. Not really all that flavorful, but it does the job. Gravy to those in the American heartland means white gravy, unless it’s Thanksgiving or there’s a pot roast involved. Here, gravy means brown, ostensibly of beefy birthright.
I feel like my entire culinary history has led me to this food.
