Poutine is about as Canadian as a food can get. It’s practically the national dish. Really, is there anything better? Its ingredients are simple yet elegant: fries, gravy, and cheese curds. That last one is very important because the dish simply isn't the same without curds. No substitutes will be accepted. And yet, there are still some restaurants that put poutine on their menu but will decide to try and slip some regular cheese past customers instead of the squeaky curds we all know and love. These particular eateries have become the target of a recent post in the Ottawa subreddit, where Reddit user SoupIsAHotSmoothie asks, "Restaurants that sell poutine made with mozzarella: what the actual f*** is your problem?" While the query sounds angry, it also seems to come from a place of pure poutine fandom. The simple yet effective question garnered hundreds of replies, with Redditors sharing their opinions on where to get it, how to eat it, and even some real-life good and bad experiences. Essentially, a simple question sparked a healthy debate over where to get the best poutine, and how to make those elements as good as they possibly can be. Is there anything more Canadian than that? https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa Everyone has their own opinions on the matter, but many of the suggestions were very good. https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mrsvh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9m7afr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mpis7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mxnyf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa Others spent time discussing some of their worst experiences, including one version in Vancouver that came with a hard-boiled egg on top. https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mtzlf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9moej3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mngh2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa Other users offered their own little curds of knowledge about the mix of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. These included not ordering the dish at restaurants that don't seem like they should be selling it (like an Italian restaurant) and even trying pierogi poutine. https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mi0e7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9n1c45?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mmuzr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mkeda?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa The thread even saw some defending the use of mozzarella, particularly as a cost-cutting measure for doing business. https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9nphku?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mqyhh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9n1ra6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa When it really came down to it, though, one person had the right answer to what goes into good poutine: that the person making it cares about what they're doing. https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/e5v60i/restaurants_that_sell_poutine_made_with/f9mntz8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x from https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa Poutine will always be one of Canada's most beloved dishes, and because of that, there will always be some heated opinions about it! There are stories everywhere. If you spot a newsworthy event in your city, send us a message, photo, or video @NarcityCanada on Twitter and Instagram.