The Mystery of White Sauce Poutine

This story originally appeared on July 25, 2025 in URBANIA, an online magazine based in Quebec focused on pop culture and society.

“Go on, try it before you call it disgusting,” orders a customer with a flawless hairdo, upon learning I’m from Montreal.

Golden fries cooked just right, fresh squeaky cheese curds… and that creamy white sauce, sometimes with a yellowish tint, poured generously over the top. A heresy for purists. A local pride, insist the people of the Outaouais, where it’s been simmering for decades without fuss, served on poutines as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But cross the river, leave the region, and it’s a void. Nowhere to be found. Unknown. Even scorned. People raise their eyebrows, call it blasphemy.