Q:
A: I am a former chef and worked in Montreal years ago, as all have said they are cheese curds, the uncoloured cheddar cheese curds, they have no bacterial cutlutre to give them a strong flavour, and as one respondant said about mozzerella, it is used by chains like A&W, Burger King and some others because it melts fast. But in true Quebecoise poutine, you want the curds to melt but stay a bit firm, the combination of the dish is the soft fried potatos, the melting chese curds and the gravy all in one bowl, now in Montreal you have several places that specialize in Poutine. I had one the corner were I lived just off of Sherbrooke, and yes even there you can get a variety of added topping, from Smoked meat, Sausages, ground beef and fried onions. Yor choices are overwhelming, I like late at night to grab at the Lafleur, a couple of hot dogs Michigan style and a small poutine, then stop by the local Couche Tard, and get a large Molson Ex and go home, then I sleep a whole lot better.