That’s right. All jokes about Russian President Vladimir Poutin being one letter away from a dose of Gravy and Cheese Curds aside, two Moscow chefs have been bringing the joys of a Canadian culinary tradition to their countrymen for a year now, and have almost perfected the recipe…
The Poutine Truck of Masha Klimova and Alexei Koleso, dishing out Canadiana
at the Faces & Laces Festival in Gorky Park, Moscow.
Masha Klimova and Alexei Koleso launched their food truck, the Poutinerie, last year and have been trying out their fare – all homage to the great Canadian tradition of Poutine – in a road-trip to various food fairs and other events. They say they just about have their recipes perfected. The only hurdle that remains is the Cheese.
“At the moment, the main problem is the cheese curd, which simply doesn’t exist in Russia,” said Klimova in an email interview with Vancouver’s News 1130. “No cheese maker […] could exactly repeat this cheese for us. We invite all Canadian chefs who are interested to come here and help us master the product to make a version that is most faithful to the original.”
They’re talking about iconic Canadian Cheddar, and not the Cheese, exactly, but the curds. That’s the raw, soft milk solids left over after the milk is separated and the Whey is drained off. And that’s what makes real Poutine real. So Canadian poutine masters are safe from serious competition, at least for now.
The crowd’s reaction…
Russian customers seem to like Klimova’s and Koleso’s brand of Poutine, though.
Their top seller is a variation which features not only Fries, Curds and Gravy, but Bacon, Blue Cheese Sauce, Pear and Crispy Onion, Klimova reports.
“The most courageous opt for the poutine with crab, coconut sauce and lime,” she adds, but cautions that one’s not for everybody.
Her favourite is a truly Russian Poutine: Stroganoff, topped with Beef and Mushrooms in Sour Cream sauce and Cucumber.
The Kremlin connection…
There’s no denying that ‘Poutine’ is just too close for comfort of some Russians, to the name of their President, Vald Poutin. In fact, ‘Putin’ translates to ‘Poutine’ in French. Klimova admits that she and her partner get some negative feedback about that.
“Everyday, we respond to guests who say: ‘What? What is Putin? Putin is a dish with fries in Canada?,” Klimova told News 1130. “Some in the minority react negatively and they blame us for making fun of the president. On the other hand, it is only a minority of people.”
Even with the current edgy state of east-west politics, Klimova sees Poutine as a uniting factor in global cultural relations.
“In the United States, Canada, Belgium and many other places, people like Potatoes a lot,” she said. “Russia is no exception.”
~ Maggie J.