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Poutine has been a favorite of the public since it was created in the 1950s.
Poutine uses freshly cut fries, cheese curds and gravy. It was first found in rural Quebec snack bars. There’s an abundance of fromageries producing cheese curds in Quebec.
In 1957, a cafe owner in Quebec said he added cheese curds to his fries at the request of a regular customer. This combination became popular but customers complained that the fries became cold quickly. The owner then added gravy to the mix to keep the fries warm.
In 1964, the chef in a drive in restaurant in Quebec served fries with a sauce he called patate sauce. He noticed customers adding cheese curds to the fries. He added them too and called it fromage patate sauce fries.
Poutine definitely originated in Quebec but no one is sure just where or when exactly.
In 1987, the owner of a Burger King in Quebec convinced the chain to add poutine to its menu. It quickly became a crowd favorite and other Burger Kings started offering the dish. McDonald’s in Quebec put poutine on the menu in 1990 and poutine now has a place in Canada’s fast food market.
Now, you may be asking, just how do you celebrate La Poutine Week.
Poutine has a week of its own from February 1 to February 7, 2026. More than 1,500 restaurants will be participating. Chefs across the city will be putting their own spin on Quebec’s ultimate comfort food. This is a great way to try some new flavors while supporting local businesses.
Poutine is Quebec’s signature dish and La Poutine Week is the largest celebration of poutines in the world. It brings together more than 50 restaurants in Montreal and more than 500 in all of Canada. Chefs try for new twists to this comfort food. No poutines should be sold for more than $10.
The first week in February was chosen because that was in a slow business period for restaurants, between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.
There’s also nationwide voting for your favorite poutine plus there are several prize categories for participating restaurants in each city.
The Montreal Gazette said of La Poutine Week “…Montreal greatest festival!” The Toronto Sun said the dishes were “…wild and wonderful…with every food group known to man.
This is per Toursme Montreal, Wikipedia and lapoutineweek.com.
Or you can stay home and make poutine for your family. And if you put your own spin on poutine, then celebrate poutine by sharing your recipe on social media.
More About Poutine
If you love poutine and want to learn more about Canadian cuisine, try these cookbooks. And you can use our links to see how you can save on them.
- Poutine: 87 Recipes for Cooking & Loving The National Dish Of Canada by Chef Pierre
- Acadian Recipes & More: Volume 2 by Brian Cormier
- Gram Gram’s Poutine Routine by Amy Dydyaski and Kate Dydyaski
Visiting Montreal
If you’d like to visit Montreal, you should consider the following hotels. Many have discounted rates and you can book any of these for under $100 a night which can save you money on your stay.