Classic Canadian dish arrives in Germany
German tourist takes poutine home to Europe
Holger Boeckner had an epicurean epiphany of sorts while visiting Canada in 2007. Out clubbing with Canadian friends in Montreal, the German tourist was introduced to Quebec’s street food of fries, gravy and cheese curds. It was 4 a.m. and his first poutine.
“It was salty, delicious, fatty,” recalled Boeckner with a big wistful smile at a café in Berlin. “It was the right meal for the situation.”
Boeckner was so enamoured with poutine that he opened The Poutine Kitchen last November, partnering up with a German dairy producer to manufacture and sell squeaky cheese.
On Jan. 25, he got to promote the product in a major way: by offering bowls of poutine at the first meeting in 2017 of the German Canadian Business Association.
He returned to Canada and the U.S. a few times since that initial visit, and sought poutine wherever he went. In Austin, Texas, during the SXSW festival in 2013, he attended a party held by the Canadian delegation and catered with poutine.
“I realized in my subsequent visits: I loved poutine,” he said. He and his neighbour, a Canadian, tried to make poutine at home, but “we realized it wasn’t possible to make it authentic because we didn’t have cheese curds.”
Indeed, poutine is relatively simple in composition since fries and gravy are a staple in almost any European country. However, the squeaky cheese — solid parts of curdled milk — is what can trip up the desire for a classic poutine. Curds are made from fresh milk, which has to be pasteurized — during which rennet is added so it clots. It then becomes a blend of whey (liquid) and early-stage “curd” and must be cooked. Lastly, it is pressed, separating the whey from the curd and voilà, you have cheese curds.
Importing cheese curds from Canada could take weeks, Boeckner said, bogged down by EU rules that require inspections and clearances.
“The cheese curd needs to be produced nearby so it can be consumed quickly and still be squeaky,” Boeckner said. “Most of the places selling poutine in Europe use mozzarella or some salty version of cheese.”
In 2014, realizing he was about to be laid off from his film public relations job, Boeckner decided to bring “real” poutine to Germany.
He set about visiting cheese fairs in the Berlin region and wound up at Bauernkäserei Wolters, where he described the curds to owner Pieter Wolters and his production manager, Uta Gerlach.
“I described it as ‘this is a cheese that squeaks’ and then the consistency as well — a little spongelike. I said it had to be eaten fresh,” says Boeckner.
Last March they created their first batch — 40 kilograms. Boeckner declared it a success: “It was tasty and squeaky.”
The following May came the real test: giving it to Canadians. With packs of gravy mix from St. Hubert’s chicken fast food joint in Quebec, Boeckner arranged a special poutine party for six Canadian friends in Berlin.
“They said it was just like home,” Boeckner said, holding up a cellphone video of a woman declaring: “The cheese is perfect. The gravy is perfect. You nailed it.”
Riding on this poutine positivity, he served it to staff at a Canadian Embassy event in June. More accolades. He then teamed up with a Canadian craft brewer to hold a Canada Day event at a Berlin beer garden: “We posted the event on Facebook and mentioned poutine. It seemed all people wanted was to eat poutine.”
The event drew about 500 people, mostly Canadians, Boeckner said. He sold out of 80 kg of fries within 2.5 hours.
Last November, Bauernkäserei Wolters began selling 250 g packages of cheese curds online for 5.48 euros ($7.62).
Boeckner is determined to spread the poutine joy among Germans as his business grows. He hopes to open a poutinefocused shop in spring — which doesn’t exist yet in Berlin.
“Germans love fries, cheese and gravy. They just haven’t had that combination yet. They will like it. I know.”