Recipe
How do Poutine differ in France and Quebec?
Poutine
In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are covered with fresh cheese curds, and topped with brown gravy. In a Quebec poutine: "Fries": Usually of medium thickness, and fried (sometimes doubly) so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crispy. "Cheese curds": Fresh cheese curds are used to give the desired texture. The curd size may vary but is usually slightly smaller than bite-sized. "Gravy": Traditionally a light and thin chicken, veal, or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper, or a "sauce brune" which is a combination of beef and chicken stock, a variant originating in Quebec. The gravy should be thin enough to easily filter down into the mass of fries and cheese curds. These sauces typically also contain vinegar or a sour flavouring to balance the richness of the cheese and fries. Traditional poutine sauces ("mélange à sauce poutine") are sold in Quebec, Ontario, and Maritime grocery stores in jars or cans and in powdered mix packets. Recently, some stores have begun to offer vegetarian gravy as an option to cater to ovolactovegetarians. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are rarely used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy are added immediately prior to serving the dish. The hot gravy is usually poured over the cold cheese curds, so that the cheese is warmed without completely melting. It is important to control the temperature, timing and the order in which the ingredients are added, so as to obtain the right food textures which is an essential part of the experience of eating poutine.