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Poutine Nation
Lessons from the Unglamorous Rise of a Canadian Culinary Icon
Sylvain Charlebois (Author)
9781487541613
Hardback, published 23 September 2025
276 pages, 25 illustrations
22.2 x 14.6 x 1.9 cm, 0.43 kg
Poutine Nation traces the evolution of poutine from its origins in rural Quebec to its status as a global phenomenon. Though it was once dismissed as lowbrow junk food, poutine has now earned a place in fine dining, fast food chains, and global pop culture. Through a mix of history, cultural analysis, and personal anecdotes, Poutine Nation examines the social and economic forces behind food trends, exploring why some dishes fade into obscurity while others, like poutine, become beloved worldwide. With a keen eye for detail and a touch of humour, leading food scientist Dr. Sylvain Charlebois investigates poutine’s role in Quebec’s cultural identity, its place in Canada’s culinary landscape, and the politics surrounding its success. He also explores the evolution of food trends, the psychology of taste, and the ways in which poutine’s global popularity reflects broader changes in how we eat and connect through food.
Acknowledgments 1. My First Taste of Poutine, Farnham, Quebec 3. What Is Poutine, Really? 4. Why the First Time You Eat Poutine Matters Part One: The Bedrock 6. Cooking, Religion, and History 7. What Makes a Food Trend? Part Two: The Invention and Spread 9. Poutine: Canada’s Pizza Part Three: The Distinction Part Four: The Pilgrimage 12. The Poutine Pilgrimage, Continued Around the World 13.The Future of Poutine Appendix 1
Preface
Introduction
2. Poutine?!
3.1 Cheese Curds and Their Squeakiness: The Butterfly of Cheese
3.2 Fries: Poutine’s Bedrock
3.3 Gravy and Innovation: A Fusion of Bliss
3.4 Poutine Varieties
4.1 The First Time
5. With Poutine, History Matters
5.1 Canada’s Dark History
5.2 Quebec’s Political Context
6.1 Agriculture and Textiles
6.2 The Industrial Revolution, Fast Food, and the Death of Cooking 6.3 The Shrinking Kitchen
6.4 From Poutine Prohibition to Adulation
7.1 A Social Phenomenon, Food Traditions, and Poutine
8. Creators, Ambassadors, and Franchises
8.1 Facts
8.2 Jean-Paul Roy: Inventor of the Modern Poutine
8.3 Poutine’s Godfather and Ambassadors
8.4 Poutine: What’s in the Name?
9.1 How is Poutine Iconic?
9.2 A Dish and Social Identity
9.3 Is Poutine Part of Canada’s National Identity?
9.4 Is Poutine Part of Canada’s Food Identity?
9.5 Pride and Poutine
10.Is the Mighty Poutine…
10.1 Comfort food?
10.2 A National Brand?
10.3 An Event Magnet?
10.4 The Ultimate Shareable Dish?
10.5 A Side Dish or a Meal?
10.6 A Pricey Dish?
11. Following the Poutine: A Pilgrimage
11.1 Visiting the Location(s) Where it Started
11.2 Drummondville and Warwick: Poutine’s Ground Zero
11.3 The Father of Poutine
11.4 Drummondville and Le Roy Jucep
11.5 Ambassador: Meeting the Godfather of Poutine
12.1 Poutine in Toronto
12.2 Poutine in Cleveland
12.3 Poutine in the Big Easy, New Orleans
12.4 Poutine in the Land Down Under
12.5 Poutine in France
Appendix 2
Endnotes