The Montreal hot dog (french: steamé), also known as a steamie, is one of several variations of
hot dogs served as a fast food staple at restaurants and
diner
A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...
s in
Montreal and other parts of
Quebec.
In Montreal (and elsewhere in the province of Quebec), the
hot dog buns used to prepare steamies are side loading, while a top loading (New England style) hot dog bun is used for toasted hot dogs. Montreal hot dogs are considered to be rather small and are generally sold for between $1.00 and $2.00 depending on the area of purchase and dressing. Popular brands include Lesters,
Lafleur's, and Glatt's
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
.
The city of Montreal did not permit street food carts from 1947 until 2011, leading to a proliferation of small "greasy spoon" restaurants which are variations on the classic Québécois ''casse-croute'' (snack bar) restaurants. These restaurants may serve hot dogs with fresh-cut fries (''patates frites'', often served "very brown and greasy"), ''
poutine'', hamburgers, ''pogos'' (
corn dogs),
hamburger steak
Hamburg steak is a patty of ground beef. Made popular worldwide by migrating Germans, it became a mainstream dish around the start of the 19th century. It is similar to Salisbury steak. It is considered the origin of the ubiquitous hamburger ...
s, in addition to Greek dishes (typically souvlaki and gyro), pizza, and
smoked meat. Restaurant chains known for their hot dogs include
La Belle Province,
Valentine
A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart.
Valentine or Valentines may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...
, and
Lafleur Restaurants
Lafleur Restaurants (in French, ''Resto Lafleur'') is a chain of family-owned fast food restaurants located in the greater Montreal area.
History
The business began in 1951 on ''Avenue Lafleur'' in LaSalle, Quebec (in the Montreal area). It wa ...
. One longstanding Montreal independent restaurant that offers hot dogs is the
Montreal Pool Room.
The 'steamie' hot dog variety has become quite popular across Canada, now frequently replacing the traditional one. Steamie parlours, called 'wieneries', have opened across Canada and are replacing typical hot dogs at franchised restaurants, too.
Variations
Montreal hot dogs may either be ''steamé'' (also ''stimé''), translated into English as "steamies", (a term briefly used by an Ontario chain affiliated with the
La Belle Province chain), which are fresh from the steamer and rather soft, or ''toasté'' (referred to in English as "Toasties"), which are grilled or toasted until crisp. ''Toastés'' are slightly more expensive and less popular.
In Montreal, hot dogs generally come dressed one of three ways:
*''All-dressed (Montreal Style)'': This hot dog, usually a 'steamie', is topped with mustard, chopped onion, relish and fresh
coleslaw or plain chopped cabbage ("''choux''" in French); however,
sauerkraut, or coleslaw of the creamy variety, is rarely used. An all-dressed hot dog typically does not include ketchup, which must be requested specifically.
*''
Michigan hot dog
A michigan hot dog, michigan red hot, or simply "michigan", is a steamed all-beef hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a meaty sauce, generally referred to as "michigan sauce", and is a specialty in and around Plattsburgh, New York.
Origin
There ...
'': This hot dog is topped with meat chili sauce or spaghetti sauce. It can be served with or without diced onions and mustard.
*''Supreme'': The hot dog is topped with cheese and bacon. This variation comes from
Lafleur Restaurants
Lafleur Restaurants (in French, ''Resto Lafleur'') is a chain of family-owned fast food restaurants located in the greater Montreal area.
History
The business began in 1951 on ''Avenue Lafleur'' in LaSalle, Quebec (in the Montreal area). It wa ...
.
See also
*
List of hot dogs
This is a list of hot dog dishes. A hot dog is a type of cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a partially sliced bun. This type of sausage was culturally imported from Germany and popularized in the United States, where ...
*
Cuisine of Quebec
References
External links
''Moutarde-Choux'' by De Émilie Villeneuve and Olivier BlouinReviews and photos of the World Famous Decarie Hotdogs, Montreal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreal Hot Dog
Hot dogs
Montreal cuisine
Cuisine of Quebec
Canadian cuisine