A Taste of the North

Every geographic area has its own flavors and traditional foods. Likewise, Aroostook County hails many unique dishes that are not generally accepted as universally American cuisine. Two of my personal favorites, which can be found at many restaurants further north are poutine and ployes, both of which are foreign by origin.


Poutine is composed of french fries topped with cheeses (usually mozzarella) and then covered in gravy. Sometimes people will add hamburger to the mix or change it up with some curly fries. Another variation is called the "italian mix", and it features spaghetti sauce rather than gravy. The original poutine dish was borrowed from the province of Quebec, and then made its way into the hearts of many Mainers.


Another of my personal favorites is the ployes are pancakes made of buckwheat. Unlike their counterparts, the original pancake, they are not designated as breakfast food. Often they are served with dinner and topped with butter rather than maple syrup. Acadian ployes are commonly featured in the County through an entire Ployes festival located annually in Fort Kent.
Every area has its native favorites when it comes to food and beverage. Ployes and poutine are two delicious options from the north.