Vegan Poutine is a recipe I hadn’t think I’d ever make. Poutine is a Canadian dish made with only a few ingredients. The traditional poutine is, basically, a layer of fries, topped with cheese curds and smothered in gravy. Sounds very simple and it’s amazing how delicious it is for something so basic. This is a dish I’m going to make often, because I love it.

Poutine comes from the Canadian province of Quebec, made in the 1950s. It became a symbol of Québécois cultural pride. Even annual poutine celebrations take place in different cities in Canada. In a survey made a few years ago over 1 in 5 said their favourite Canadian dish is Poutine. Furthermore, 11 April is National Poutine Day. I know what I’m going to eat that day.

If you don’t have lots of time, then this is the perfect dish. It’s not exactly healthy, but not too bad either. If you use oven-baked French fries, then the amount of oil in them is quite low. A bit of cheese sprinkled on top and some shop-bought vegan gravy and that’s it. While it doesn’t count towards your 5-a-day, it’s still a filling side dish. It can be eaten on its own, but I do prefer it as a side dish.

Ingredients for Vegan Poutine:

– skin on oven-baked fried potatoes
– mozzarella-style cheese
– cheddar-style cheese
– vegan gravy

To make Vegan Poutine, cook the fries according to the instructions in the packaging. I would suggest leave them in the oven for a bit longer, so they get a bit more crispy and just perfect for this recipe.

Sprinkle vegan cheese on top of the fries and put the plate in the microwave for 30 seconds so the cheese melts a bit. Now pour gravy, made by following the instructions on the package. That’s it!

I saw a few alternatives to vegan poutine, with added veggies, such as sauteed mushrooms. Alternatively, you can add sauteed peppers or onions. I imagine all these possibilities are just as delicious.

A few more fun facts on Poutine, according to wikipedia:
– Poutine was served at the White House for the first state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in March 2016.
– There is an annual poutine festival in Quebec, from 1993.
– Montreal hosts La Poutine Week, an annual festival, from 2013.
– A company made a poutine-flavoured soft drink, which was, thankfully, a limited-edition.
– “The world’s richest poutine”, containing ingredients like truffles, shiitake, and chanterelle mushrooms,edible orchids, and gold flakes, was priced just under $450, made in 2018 for a campaign to promote a movie (not vegan, so I did not mention the non-vegan ingredients).
– In the 2000 US election, a comedian posed as a reporter and asked politicians their views on “Prime Minister Jean Poutine” and his endorsement of Bush (the Prime Minister of Canada at the time was Jean Chrétien). None of them noticed the change of name, while Bush said he would “work closely” with Mr. Poutine. When Bush made his first official visit to Canada as president, a few years later, he joked in a speech, “There’s a prominent citizen who endorsed me in the 2000 election, and I wanted a chance to finally thank him […] I was hoping to meet Jean Poutine.” The remark was met with laughter and applause.