- Categories:
- Food & Beverage
- Tags:
- CookingFast FoodFood
- Where:
- Canada
- Date change rule:
- Every February 1 through 7
- Holiday emoji:
- 🍟
La Poutine Week ignites a nationwide culinary celebration from February 1 to 7 each year. This event transforms Canada into a poutine paradise, with hundreds of restaurants crafting unique versions of the beloved dish. Join the festivities by exploring new flavors, sharing your favorite finds, and supporting local eateries.
Want to sponsor La Poutine Week? Learn how
Expected La Poutine Week Deals
While official 2027 promotions are still being announced, La Poutine Week historically brings a flurry of delicious deals from major Canadian eateries and fast-food chains. Expect special limited-time poutine creations and discounts from popular spots like A&W Canada, Harvey’s, and McDonald’s Canada. Specialty poutine establishments such as Smoke’s Poutinerie often roll out exclusive festival-only recipes. Grocery stores like Loblaws and Sobeys may feature sales on ingredients like cheese curds and gravy, encouraging home cooks to experiment. Even convenience stores like Couche-Tard might offer grab-and-go poutine specials. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as February 1 approaches.
Platform Guide for La Poutine Week
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #LaPoutineWeek. Film your poutine adventures, from restaurant reviews to homemade creations.
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #LaPoutineWeek. Share mouth-watering photos and reels of your favorite poutines, highlighting unique toppings.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #LaPoutineWeek. Join local event pages, share restaurant finds, and discuss your top poutine picks.
La Poutine Week Hero
Na'eem Adam
History of La Poutine Week
Poutines have been the public’s pick since their conception in the 1900s. In the late 1950s, the first poutine was created using a combination of freshly cut fries, cheese curds, and gravy in rural Quebec snack bars. In Quebec, there was an abundance of fromageries that produced cheese curds. This geographical proximity led to the inclusion of this ingredient in the poutine dish. In Warwick in 1957, Fernand Lachance of Café Ideal claimed that he initially added cheese curds to fries at the request of a regular customer. This combination became popular and in 1963, after getting complaints that the fries became cold very quickly, Lachance poured gravy on the fries and curds to keep it warm.
In 1964, Jean-Paul Roy declared that he invented poutine at his drive-in restaurant called Le Roy Jucep. According to his story, since 1958, he had been serving fries to customers in a special sauce. The dish was called patate-sauce. The customers, he noticed, were adding cheese curds to the fries separately, and he developed that idea into a dish which he called fromage-patate-sauce.
In 1987, Jean-Louis Roy, the owner of a Burger King franchise in Quebec, persuaded the chain to offer poutine on its menu. The dish became a crowd favorite very quickly. Many other Burger King outlets in Quebec also started offering this dish on their menu. McDonald’s, too, jumped on board and added poutine to their menu, making it a hit in 1990. This launched poutine into fast-food fame.
La Poutine Week timeline
The first poutine is created in rural Quebec snack bars using a combination of freshly cut fries, cheese curds, and gravy.
Fernand Lachance, a café worker, claims to have added cheese curds to fries at the request of a customer, which leads to the creation of the poutine dish.
Jean-Paul Roy argues that he invented poutine at his drive-in restaurant by adding cheese curds to an older dish and then adding the new dish to the menu as fromage-patate-sauce.
Jean-Louis Roy, the owner of a Burger King franchise in Quebec, persuades the chain to offer poutine on its menu and launches the dish into fast-food fame.
How Businesses Can Celebrate La Poutine Week
Local businesses, especially restaurants and pubs, can fully embrace La Poutine Week by crafting unique, limited-time poutine specials that showcase local ingredients or innovative flavor combinations. Consider hosting a ‘poutine flight’ tasting menu or a customer voting contest for the most creative poutine. Retailers can offer discounts on poutine-making ingredients like local cheese curds or specialty gravies, encouraging home cooks to participate in the celebration. Promote your offerings actively on social media using #LaPoutineWeek to engage with the wider festival audience.
La Poutine Week FAQs
When is La Poutine Week?
In 2027, La Poutine Week will again kick off on Monday, February 1, continuing its tradition of showcasing innovative poutine dishes for seven delicious days.
How many restaurants participate in La Poutine Week?
With a consistent track record, La Poutine Week is expected to feature over 700 culinary establishments in 2027, making it Canada’s largest poutine festival.
What are the main ingredients of poutine?
At its heart, poutine combines golden french fries, squeaky cheese curds, and a hearty brown gravy, though many variations now exist beyond this classic trio.
Where did poutine originate?
The iconic dish emerged from Quebeckers in the mid-20th century, quickly becoming a beloved staple and a symbol of Canadian comfort food.
La Poutine Week Activities
Eat, eat, eat
The easiest and most obvious way to celebrate La Poutine Week is to eat poutines to your heart’s content. Find a restaurant nearby to order from or a fast-food joint in Quebec that sells poutines!
Make your own poutine
There’s nothing as delicious as a home-cooked meal. Make your own poutine at home and eat with your family instead of eating out.
Share your poutine recipe
Help others create their own poutine by sharing your recipe on social media. Your followers would love it!
5 Interesting Facts About Poutine
Poutine means “a mess”
The word ‘poutine’ is Quebec slang that means “a mess.”
Poutine contains many calories
In order to burn off the 1,422 calories contained in the average poutine, a man would need to jog for 2.5 hours.
Poutines were called ‘disco fries’
In New York and New Jersey in the 1970s, poutine was served as a late-night side dish at clubs and was called ‘disco fries.’
The largest poutine
The largest poutine in the world was made in Saguenay, in Quebec, and its weight was almost equal to that of a large horse.
The most expensive poutine
The most expensive poutine, called the ‘poutine au foie gras,’ is priced at $23 at the Au Pied de Cochon restaurant in Montreal.
Why We Love La Poutine Week
It’s are delicious
Poutine is simply delicious. They are the public’s favorite for a reason.
It makes people happy
Good food makes people happy! What’s not to love about that?
It brings people closer
Food has the power to bring people together. Poutines taste better when shared.
La Poutine Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | February 1–7 | Monday–Sunday |
| 2028 | February 1–7 | Tuesday–Monday |
| 2029 | February 1–7 | Thursday–Wednesday |
| 2030 | February 1–7 | Friday–Thursday |
| 2031 | February 1–7 | Saturday–Friday |
Social Media Tips for La Poutine Week
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