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Summary

Canada's Official Twitter Account Asked What Toppings Go On Poutine & Canadians Are Triggered

Shredded cheese on poutine? 🤔

Associate Editor

From where you can find the best poutine in Canada to what it's really made with, there have always been a lot of questions surrounding Canada's most famous food.

Recently, a tweet from Canada's official Twitter managed to ruffle a few feathers by asking people about the "toppings" for poutine.

"#Poutine is one dish that can bring all #Canadian cuisine fans together, but its toppings sure can spark a debate," the tweet from the government said.

"Some folks eat theirs the traditional way with curds and others use shredded cheese," it continued.

"Are you team cheese curd or team shredded?"

Clearly, the question did not sit well with Canadians as many replied and shut it down hard.

"If you're using shredded then you're not eating poutine. This is the line in the sand," is how one Twitter user put it.

"If the poutine lacks cheese curds so fresh that they squeak it is not poutine!!!!!! 😤 serving anything else and calling it poutine is fraudulent," another stated.

"One is the correct way to eat it, with curds, the other is a crime against humanity, shredded," someone else said. Ouch!

Many others also pointed out that without the cheese curds, it couldn't officially be called poutine — which means that the curds aren't a "topping" but a necessary ingredient.

"I'm sorry what are you talking about 'shredded'. Nobody is eating shredded. It's not a thing. Or if they are, it's not poutine. Next you'll tell us that hotdogs and burritos are sandwiches," one person tweeted.

While the answer seemed unanimous, a few people thought there were worse things to put on poutine than shredded cheese.

Someone said that it's not as bad as the rainbow poutine trend from a few years ago.

Finally, a few people seemed to think that it was fine to use shredded cheese only if the real thing wasn't available.

"Honestly, there's no team discussion here… it has to be cheese curds. But if you don't have any or you're in a bind, shredded cheese can be an option," a Twitter user commented.

Someone else shared that they recently tried poutine with curds layered throughout it with shredded cheese on top and it was "fantastic."

"If you're paying for poutine, it better be curds. If you're making it at home on a budget, and your only choices are cheddar, cheez whiz or sliced singles, then cheddar is an ok alternative. Curds are costly."

Recently, Canadians were asked where the best poutine in Canada is and there was a clear winner since most people responded that Quebec is the top spot to get the classic Canadian food.

If you're looking to try poutine in a different way, Newfoundland has a version of poutine that's made with crispy fries, dressing and gravy. Also, Jagmeet Singh has shared his recipe for Punjabi poutine!

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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    • Associate Editor

      Janice Rodrigues (she/her) was an Associate Editor with Narcity Media. She's a lifestyle journalist who swapped the sandy shores of Dubai for snowy Toronto in March 2022. She's previously worked with newspapers Khaleej Times in Dubai and The National in Abu Dhabi, writing about food, health, travel, human interest and more, and her byline has also appeared in blogTO in Toronto. She has a master's degree in media and communications from the University of Wollongong in Dubai. Since arriving, she's been busy exploring Toronto and is excited about everything it has to offer (with the only exception being the snow).

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