Quote Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC View Post
Wonderful pics Alex and Chas, thanks for posting them eh.

When I first came up to Canada I was told about the National dish of Canada, Poutine but didn't believe it eh.

But I'm afraid Chas and Alex you were given some Englishized version of real Poutine as the dish here is served with cheese curds not grated cheese. I suspect that this was done so as not to offend your highly trained and sensitive palettes eh.

Here is one recipe eh:

"In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are topped with fresh cheese curds, and covered with brown gravy or sauce. The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy used is generally a light 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, originating in Quebec. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are rarely used. Fresh cheese curds (not more than a day old) are used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy is added immediately prior to serving the dish eh."


But, Steve, the rest of the wiki article you quoted does indeed give options for grated cheese, so it appears that's it's not just a variation over here, but well known over there as well.
Of course with any regional dish there isn't really one version, as every decent cook and chef will have their own version, whether it is traditional, historic or even modern. ( to borrow something from another thread....)