Being French and growing up in Québec, I have been born to love poutine. Ever since I was little I have known this dish and have also made it all my life. Making it with my mother and father, it was always fun. Taking that little car ride into Casselman, home to the St. Albert's cheese factory was always my favourite part. Seeing how it was made was fascinating and now that I think of it, appreciating all the extremely hard work that goes into it, from milking the cows and the heating, curing, aging, transportation and such. After taking a tour of the factory, the people are generous enough to offer not even 5 minute old cheese, the squeak of it on your teeth probably the best part. The mouth-watering taste of fresh cheese as it literally melts in your mouth. Having a large family we would usually buy a 2kg bag of cheese curds and bring them home to eat and of course for our poutine.  Making everything from homemade ingredients made it all the more better. Everything was always more fresh and tastier, there was no preservatives or unknown ingredients and products.

         However for as much as I love poutine, there is always a limit, you can only eat something like this once a month or every other week, unless you’re a die hard. After being in cooking class for nearly two years, I have seen experiments on fast-food, and let’s just say it was rather… disturbing. Although most poutine you buy unless from chain restaurants like McDonald’s, is usually small individually owned business, you still never know exactly where all the food is coming from, how fresh it is or what’s in it. Having taken lessons on biodiversity and sustainability, I have learned that I need to keep a mixture of plants and animals in my diet to help save the planet and to eat locally, in order to save on money and lessen the amount of greenhouse gases emitted: I see now that by making your own food, you are not only saving yourself but also the environment.  You help out the local farmers and provide them with opportunity and jobs. You bring money into your local economy and this provides the money for better education, healthcare and all other necessities.

I have 2 recipes for you, one on the “sweeter” side and the other more of a savoury flavour.

 I created my own recipes for you to try if you’re in the mood. Being from Québec, Maple Syrup is a HUGE industry, producing over 80% of the entire world’s supply. So next time you want to try and make a truly “Canadian” meal, and replace the gravy with a little bit of maple syrup and top with bacon instead of cheese. This combination is extraordinary and truly Canadian eh?

         If you want to go into more mouth-watering and savoury dishes, try a poutine with pieces or sirloin steak or Montréal smoked meat, with thick and garlicky-Spicy beef gravy. I have no doubt that if you try these two, you’ll be coming back for seconds.