New Jersey Disco Fries Vs Poutine: What's The Difference?

While french fries are a rather fragile dish, prone to turning soggy with even the slightest hint of moisture, that hasn't stopped generations of bar food fans from piling on the toppings. On casual eatery and fast food menus all over North America, you'll find chili cheese fries, bacon cheese fries, and the granddaddy of all loaded fries, poutine. This dish, consisting of fries, gravy, and cheese, has practically achieved the status of a Canadian cultural artifact, but what makes poutine different from a similar dish called disco fries?

Disco fries, which may be New Jersey's greatest contribution to the snack food pantheon, are also fries topped with gravy and cheese. The one difference between the two dishes, apart from their country of origin, is the fact that they use different cheeses. Disco fries are typically made with mozzarella, although American, cheddar, Gruyère, and provolone are also acceptable. Poutine, however, can only be made with cheese curds. In fact, there are certain brands of cheese curds that are sold for the express purpose of poutine-making.

If you're not in Canada or Culver's country (aka the Midwest), you may not be familiar with cheese curds. They're essentially small pieces of cheese so fresh it's said to squeak when you eat it, but I've never heard it since the squeak goes away in 24 hours. When I first moved to Wisconsin as an East Coast economic refugee, I heard all about how amazing cheese curds were supposed to be, and I must say I was distinctly underwhelmed. My favorite cheeses are the sharpest ones, and sharpness is a product of aging. Fresh cheese is the opposite of sharp, and unflavored curds tend to be bland and rubbery. Mozzarella, too, is among the blander and bouncier of cheeses, so that's another point in the "disco fries and poutine are not too dissimilar" column. 

But what about battered and fried cheese curds? This Midwestern favorite admittedly does have more flavor than plain curds, if you like greasy dough. While you can make a cheater's poutine at Culvers by ordering fries, curds, and a side of gravy, it won't be anything like the real deal. In fact, disco fries are far closer to Canadian poutine than this Culver's secret menu knockoff. Both disco fries and real poutine are made with naked cheese which gets slightly melty in the hot gravy, but a batter coating can prevent any warmth from reaching the cheese. Battered curds also tend to be pretty large, and would make for an unwieldy mouthful when combined with fries.