Are you “in a pickle” for what to eat for supper? Go try Harvey’s “dill-lightful” poutine!

By Aliya Karimjee

Two fried pickles with fries, cheese curds, and pickle pieces. — A poutine with fries, cheese curds, pickle pieces and two fried pickles; to make it extra dill-icious. (Aliya Karimjee/CanCulture)

Pickles are more than just a craving! Whether you’ve had a long day or are simply hungry, Harvey’s “Pickle Pickle Poutine” is worth a try.

“Isn't Harvey's a burger place?” I hear you ask. Well, yes, indeed! But if you're not in the mood for a burger or want something more inclusive, check out Harvey's vegetarian gravy poutines!

Amongst their poutine options is a new and limited edition available only until the New Year: “Pickle Pickle Poutine.” As you can guess from the name, this poutine is “pickled” for pickle lovers!

So what does this poutine entail? As shown on @harveyscanada TikTok account, pickles get diced while two other pickles get fried. Next, they fry 100 per cent Canadian potatoes and add gravy, creamy ranch drizzle, and cheese curds. It all sounds fantastic, although we can all agree the special touch is the pickles!

Follow me on my experience!

As I entered Harvey’s filled with excitement and anticipation, I was scared as I originally didn’t see the item on the menu. However, I soon realized I simply did not have my glasses on.

Once I could clearly see, I noticed the most mouthwatering video of the poutine! The pickles were being slowly diced and the creamy ranch was being drizzled all over the food. It just looked so good I promptly ordered my meal!

I’m still not sure what was better, seeing the dish being made, or the food.

The beauty of the deep-fried pickle, the sauce being drizzled, everything was just perfection in my eyes.

Soon enough, the poutine was ready!

As I took my first bite, I was so surprised by the mix of flavours!

As a French Canadian, I’m used to the standard poutine flavours like gravy, BBQ sauce or sour cream; so this variety of fried foods: fries and deep fried pickles, accompanied by lighter ingredients like the cheese curds and ranch drizzle created the perfect crunchy poutine.

It sounds delicious, but how exactly did this poutine come to life?

It all started as a TikTok menu hack back on Nov. 24 of last year. From its increasing popularity, Harvey's had no choice but to listen to customers' wishes and release this unique poutine. After all, it isn't just every day you get 3,000 shares and 500,000 views from a TikTok video.

This affordable poutine knows the perfect combination of crunchy and tasty. My tastebuds were not disappointed! Plus, until Dec. 17, use the coupon code HAR042 to get a regular-sized Pickle Pickle Poutine with a 20oz soft drink for $7.99.

CanCulture asked Canadians on social media to vote for the food that best represents Canada from 10 strong contenders.

By: Kaitlyn Stock

Due to Canada being an incredibly diverse and multicultural country, it may be difficult for Canadians to think of a food that screams Canada. Could it be sweet old butter tarts and Nanaimo bars? What about our infamous ketchup chips? And how could we ever forget salmon jerky or muktuk, both treasures from Canadian seas?

In a poll CanCulture conducted on social media, 55 Canadians were given 10 examples of popular Canadian food and we asked them to select the one that they thought most represented Canada. Take a guess of your own, see the top five results below and let us know how you would have voted!

4. In a tie for fourth place, with 7.4 per cent of votes each, we have peameal bacon and Timbits!

A plate of cooked peameal bacon. (mhaithaca/Creative Commons)

Peameal bacon, also known as “Canadian bacon” to Americans, was originally made by William Davies, a ham and bacon curer from Toronto. If you are not vegetarian, you may know that it is made from pork loin instead of pork belly like typical bacon, and is then rolled in cornmeal — hence its yellow crust.

The Carousel Bakery, located inside St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, is famous for its peameal bacon sandwiches. As peameal bacon is hard to find outside of Canada, Torontonians should seize their chance to visit this hotspot and learn about a food created in their city.

A box of Timbits. (Conor Samuels/Unsplash)

If you are Canadian, you will definitely understand the hype around these tasty little cakes from Tim Hortons known as Timbits. Timbits are bite-sized versions of the chain’s doughnuts and are a good treat to bring to meetings, gatherings and parties.

Timbits were first introduced at Tim Hortons in 1976, 12 years after its first restaurant opened. The most popular flavours are birthday cake, old-fashioned glazed, chocolate glazed, old-fashioned plain and honey dip.

3. In third place: beaver tails (and not the animal part…)

Embed from Getty Images

9.3 per cent of participants chose this sweet treat as the peak Canadian food. The beaver tail is a fried dough pastry that is pulled to resemble the tail of a beaver. It is then topped with anything from Nutella to cinnamon sugar.

Beaver tails were first sold in the late 1970s at a Killaloe, Ont. community fair, by Pam and Grant Hooker. In 1980, the first BeaverTails stand was opened at the ByWard Market in Ottawa and is still there today!

2. In second place for what Canadians think of when they hear “Canadian food” is maple syrup!

A bottle of Canadian maple syrup. (Nadine Primeau/Unsplash)

25.9 per cent of participants chose maple syrup, also known as “liquid gold,” as their top Canadian food. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, maple syrup first came from “Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, including the Abenaki, Haudenosaunee and Mi’kmaq”, before European settlers discovered this treat. To get the sap out, Indigenous people tapped the trees by cutting v-shaped patterns into the bark.

The production of maple syrup took off in the late 1700s and was collected by colonists drilling holes into maple trees and fitting them with wooden spouts. This way the sap would flow out for collection. The production of maple syrup in Canada is so huge that we produce 85 per cent of the world's maple syrup!

1. Finally, in the number one spot is, unsurprisingly, poutine!

A plate of Canada’s most popular dish, poutine. (mttsndrs/Creative Commons)

38.9 per cent of participants selected this classic dish as their pick for Canada’s top food. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, poutine first appeared in rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. The pronunciation of poutine also varies throughout Canada, with Quebecers pronouncing it as “poo-tin” and those outside of Quebec pronouncing it as “poo-teen.” Not only is the pronunciation of poutine unclear but so is the founder of this dish, with several individuals claiming the credit for inventing poutine.

It was not until the early 1990s that poutine entered popular fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s, Harvey’s and Burger King. Poutine is popular across Canada, however, it is especially liked in Quebec, its place of origin.