Steemit Culture Challenge Entry - The ultimate Canadian food.

Hi Steemit! This is my entry for Hive account@ladaural's #culturechallenge contest which is all about introducing your favourite typical food of your country. I had a hard time choosing what food to talk about but I decided to go with the quintessential Canadian food - poutine! Poutine is originally from Quebec, the french speaking province of Canada. The dish is traditionally composed of french fries, gravy and cheese curds (almost like little chewy nuggets of mozzarella). Typically, poutine is more of a late night food and especially good after a night of drinking. Poutine has become very popular and you can now enjoy it at all hours of the day and all around Canada. I'm from Toronto which is very diverse and so our poutines are too. Here's a few of the most memorable poutines I've tried.

|Brazilian poutine.|

The most unique poutine I've ever eaten was this Brazilian poutine from a local restaurant called Mata Petisco Bar. Cassava is a starchy vegetable commonly used in Brazil so we have fried cassava instead of potatoes as the base. We also have braised beef cheeks and and cheese curds. I went for brunch so it's topped with two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Delicious!

|Lobster poutine.|

There used to be a restaurant in Toronto called Rock Lobster that was all about seafood (and especially lobster). The chef would get his lobsters from the East coast of Canada where there is a lot of fresh seafood. Lobster poutine is not common and it's a little bit funny to pair such an expensive item with something like poutine. Aside from lobster meat, this poutine had a lobster bisque gravy and cheese curds. Unfortunately the restaurant closed a few years ago, but I'll always remember this poutine.

|Smoked meat poutine.|

This poutine is actually from a famous poutine restaurant called La Banquise in Montreal, which is in the province of Quebec and roughly 5 hours away from Toronto. The general consensus is that poutine is better in Quebec than Toronto and I agree. La Banquise has more than 30 types of poutine on their menu and there's usually a line at the door. Aside from poutine, Montreal also is known for their smoked meat (beef brisket) and that's what makes this poutine stand out. There's also mushrooms, sour cream and a peppery gravy. If you ever visit Montreal, you must order a poutine here! They are massive, so sharing is a good idea.

|Homemade breakfast poutine.|

Once in a while I like to make my own poutine but it's not very traditional because I usually pan fry or roast my potatoes. I made this breakfast poutine with garlic cheese curds, gravy, bacon, pan fried potatoes and two sunny side up eggs. Garlic cheese curds are hard to find in Toronto but are super delicious! When I found some, I knew I had to make a poutine. I really like cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.

|Me with a poutine! :D|

I hope you enjoyed all my different poutines, Steemit!
For more posts on food and travel, follow me @jellyfishdonut.
Thanks for reading!