Quebec is trying to do for cheese curds what France did for champagne.
What happened: Following in the footsteps of Bordeaux wine and Scotch whisky, Quebec’s dairy industry is requesting the same special geographical identification (GI) for its cheese curds. The unique designation would allow local producers to exclusively market their squeaky cheese curds as “Quebec poutine cheese.”
To get the coveted designation, a product has to be singularly linked to the region where it’s made and have a reputation and quality that is directly tied to that geographical origin. Think Canadian Rye, Colombian coffee, or Kobe beef.
As part of Quebec’s bid for the poutine designation, precise qualities of the poutine cheese will have to be certified, including how it melts and precisely how squeaky the curds need to be.
Why it matters: Holding the official poutine cheese title not only protects against copycats making inferior curds, but it could also be a huge economic boon for Quebec producers. One study found that, on average, goods with the GI protection have double the sales value of products without it.
Parmigiano Reggiano, which has long held a GI designation, now sells €2.6 billion worth of cheese a year. Because of its protection, only specific producers from Northern Italy are seeing that money.
Our take: The cheese curd market might not be in Champagne territory, but poutine is quickly gaining popularity internationally. From Tokyo to New York, restaurants, street stalls, and social media chefs are putting their own twist on the Canadian delicacy. What better way to lend these dishes authenticity than with some properly squeaky Quebec curds?—LA