England, Part 5: Smother It In Gravy

If there is one thing I hear Brent reminisce about most that is smothering chips, or fries, in gravy. 

Warm and savory, I can see why he craves the satisfying dish. And it wasn't just always your typical brown gravy (as pictured below), but there is also an option of a curry "gravy" (chip shop curry) from your local chippy, packed with tons of flavor and a little spice. 

Brewski Chorlton served up a piping hot plate of chips and gravy. My mouth is watering just thinking about them...

I have heard differing opinions from those from the UK, on when it is appropriate to use classic brown gravy, and when curry sauce should be used. Brown gravy with meat pies and curry sauce with fish seems to be the popular choice. According to one Reddit user, it is acceptable to choose either for sausage. 

This treat is not exclusive to northern England of course, and actually, it didn't even originate in the UK. It was adapted from a popular Canadian dish - poutine. Canadians have had poutine on the menu since the 1950's. 

It is said that the delicacy began in a small town just outside of Montreal, where the land was scattered with dairy farms. According to the National Post, a customer named Eddy Lainesse who frequented the Le Lutin Qui Rit restaurant in the town of Warwick, had asked the chef to place a handful of fries along with some cheese curds in a bag to go. The chef, confused at the usual request, declared that this would make "a damn mess". Poutine, in Quebec and Acadian French slang, translates to "mess". Salty brown gravy and fatty, melty squeaky cheese curds atop a fresh pile of hand-cut fries, it only makes sense that the dish would receive the name Poutine. The snack was officially added to the menu, and for only a mere $0.35.

Thankfully, the to-go bag was later upgraded to a plate.

Although the origin story of poutine touts Le Lutin Qui Rit as the first to offer the dish up to patrons, The Canadian Intellectual Property Council has officially certified Le Roy Jucep restaurant owner Jean-Paul Roy as the official inventor of poutine. You can try over 20 different variations of poutine at the Drummondville, QC restaurant today.

So where does your heart lie - brown gravy or curry sauce?