poutine

What it means

1. 1.

   Chips topped with cheese curds and gravy. Originally rural Quebec, now national, and the defining late-night food.

In use

• Nothing beats poutine at two in the morning.

• The curds have to squeak or it isn't real poutine.

  Note: The squeak of fresh curds is the standard test, and Quebecers will tell you about it.

Where it comes from

From Quebec around the late 1950s; several rural towns claim to have invented it and the dispute is unresolved. The word may come from a Quebec French term for a mess or mixture.

First attested: 1950s