People Are Debating What 'Real Poutine' Is & Sharing How It's Made Around The World

It's classic, but Canadian poutine seems to be misunderstood in other parts of the world, and it's led to people debating online about what "real poutine" is.

On Reddit, there's a page dedicated to poutine and Narcity was told that there has been "increased engagement" in the last few weeks as people share their favourite poutine, discuss recipes and debate what makes it "real poutine."

When someone recently asked if poutine made with Tater Tots, gravy, cheese curds, a fried egg and green onions is considered "quality," another person responded and said it sounds good but they wouldn't call it poutine.

"I'd argue that tater tots is getting into 'poutine adjacent' territory," someone else responded.

Also, an American shared that cheese curds are hard to find where they live and so they use mozzarella, but since they've never had "authentic" poutine, they asked if that's "about as close as you can get" to the real thing.

One person responded and said, "Nothing compares. You can't have poutine without curds. It's just what you Americans call disco fries."

Along with the debate about what the ingredients of "real poutine" are, people have been posting about how the dish is made in other countries including the U.S., Aruba and Belgium.

A person in Vermont shared a poutine that's made with shredded mozzarella cheese.

"I'm going to cry," one person responded. "Just cross the border, friend, we're waiting for you."

Someone else said the curd is what makes it poutine and another said the shredded cheese is "a crime."

In Aruba, you can get what someone called "classic poutine," which has meat and green onions on top. You can also find a similar version in Nicaragua.

Someone in Scotland posted their poutine, which does have cheese curds, though they look a little different than the Canadian version.

However, this version got a stamp of approval from several Quebecers!

Another person posted a version of poutine from Belgium, which has sausage, peppers and mushrooms added on top of the fries and cheese curds.

It's not only other countries that have different takes on poutine; you can find ones that transform the classic recipe right here in Canada, too.

That includes Jagmeet Singh's Punjabi poutine (sweet potatoes, gravy with tomatoes and spices, cheese curds and green onions) and Newfoundland poutine (fries, cheese curds, gravy and a dressing that most people would consider stuffing) to name a few!