Poutine

Posh poutine we had just last night! Our friend ordered it and when we saw it, we couldn't resist. Smoked pork belly poutine. Amazing. 

This dish is definitely a heart attack waiting to happen, but it is sooo good! It’s pronounced ‘pu-tin’ by the locals (not poo-teen as Will and I originally thought). It’s a French-Canadian dish. It’s especially good in winter when all you want is some tasty, hot comfort food. Or some quick Candian fast-food. Or if you’re hungover...

What is it?

It’s basically French fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy. Special poutine gravy. And if you want to go gourmet, you can get meatlover’s with smoked meat, vegie, with obviously vegies on it and so on. Apparently some places around Ottawa have 40 different types of toppings!

Apologies for the next three pictures - they were taken with our iPod Touch, so the quality is not very good. It's just a little more subtle than our big Nikon and I don't always carry my little Olympus with us! You get the idea though. And yes, we have had a couple of different types - my waistline has not been grateful for this new culinary discovery! 

Poutine in Bancroft.

We first had poutine at a chip wagon on the highway from Sault Ste Marie to Ottawa. Since then we’ve tried a few different versions and have even made our own at home. We did use a sachet of gravy mix, which you add to water and boil, but apparently you can also make your own homemade version with beef stock.

Homemade poutine. Looks a little like ice cream and caramel sauce though - someone was a little carried away with the cheese curds! 

Smoked meat poutine at The Works. 

It doesn’t look that pretty, but it does taste amazing. And this is coming from someone who hates Aussie chips and gravy! 

Yum!