Cheese Factory Catches Fire in Middle of Montreal's Poutine Week
Just on the heels of the recent goat cheese fire in Norway, a cheese factory southeast of Ottowa burned on February 3, only a few days into Montreal's first-ever Poutine Week. The St. Albert Cheese Factory was a 118 year old dairy cooperative and one of Canada's largest producers of cheese curds. Fortunately, St. Albert has plans to rebuild, and in the meantime, other companies are stepping in to produce the cheese curds for Poutine Week.
Poutine is a traditional dish of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, but at Poutine Week, creativity is king. Some poutines might be salty, sweet or spicy. At one eatery, the "poutine anglaise" is made with Stilton cheese. At another, nuggets of General Tao chicken add a sweet and sour vibe. One Japanese restaurant even created a poutine sushi, with gravy-coated fries and curds stuffed inside a roll of rice and seaweed.
