Undoubtedly Canada's most well-known food creations, poutine is often what we find ourselves eating to punctuate a celebration, and now Vancouver is set to experience a two-week city-wide celebration of the Quebec-born dish.
The glorious combination of hot, salty, crispy fries with melty, gooey cheese curds and rich, velvety gravy is what La Poutine Week is all about, and in 2022 the festival is doubling down with an extra week of deliciousness to mark its 10th anniversary.
The premise is pretty simple: Eat poutine during La Poutine Week and go online and vote for your favourites.
This event celebrating Canada’s unofficial national drunk food takes place the first week of February each year and features poutine dishes submitted by restaurants and bars nationwide. This year La Poutine Week will run seven more days, stretching - like a good cheese pull - from Feb. 1 through 14.
While the event is wildly popular in its native Quebec, the fest has steadily expanded nationwide over the years with a few Metro Vancouver and B.C. restaurants signing up to take part in the friendly - and flavourful - competition.
Last year, poutine lovers had their choice of 17 different poutines available from nearly 30 participating restaurant locations across Metro Vancouver during La Poutine Week. That roster included poutine dishes made with tots, or topped with things like butter chicken or dry-aged duck. Whether they're loaded with prawns or bacon or done up like donairs...there are always plenty of indulgent and creative takes on the classic Canadian comfort dish.
We can expect to learn which local restaurants will be taking part in La Poutine Week in the coming weeks as the big week gets closer. Stay tuned!
