Pâté chinois

Pâté chinois(pronounced[pɑteʃinwa]) ('Chinese pie') is aFrench Canadiandish similar to the Englishshepherd's pieor Frenchhachis Parmentier. It is a traditional recipe inQuébécois cuisine.
The dish is made with layered ground beef (sometimes mixed with sautéed diced onions) on the bottom, canned corn (either whole-kernel,creamed, or a mixture) for the middle layer, and mashed potatoes on top. Seasonings may be added to the top. Variations may include reversing the layering of ingredients with potatoes at the bottom, then meat, topped with creamed corn; adding diced bell peppers to the ground beef; and serving the dish with pickled eggs or beets. Once served, ketchup can be added.
There are no confirmed appearances ofpâté chinoisbefore the 1930s.This has led many to believe it was created in the 1930s, but its origins are widely debated and there are multiple hypotheses.
All current theories are rejected by Jean-Pierre Lemasson, author of the bookLe mystère insondable du pâté chinois. According to his research, Chinese workers simply atericeandsoybeansduring the construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway(ruling out the Railway Hypothesis). In addition, he notes thatpâté chinoishad only appeared on the tables of Québécois families in the 1930s, which makes it difficult to believe that it appeared during theIndustrial RevolutioninMaine(ruling out the South China Hypothesis). According to this author, the origin ofpâté chinoisremains a mystery.
This hypothesis suggests thatpâté chinoiscame into existence at the end of the 19th century during the construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway. At the time, railway workers, mostly ofAsianorigin, were said to be fed on the job with onlyground beef,potatoesandcornas these ingredients were readily available and inexpensive at the time. While working on the railway, these workers created, by force of circumstance, a unique blend, namedpâté chinoisin their honour.French Canadianrailway workers would have adopted this new dish shortly thereafter.
Another hypothesis suggeststhat this dish originated from the city ofSouth ChinainMaine. Many French Canadians had emigrated there to find work during theIndustrial Revolution. The “China pie”, a local specialty, would have become popular among the French Canadians and been translated intopâté chinois.
Some believe thatpâté chinoismight have evolved frompemmican.
—translated fromDu pâté chinoisby B. Arcand and S. Bouchard (p. 15)
In hisGenesis of Quebec cuisine, published by Éditions Fides, Jean-Marie Francœur goes further. He argues that the famous name"pâté chinois", the origin of which remains obscure despite the popularity of the dish, could be linked to a missed expedition.
In 1669,René-Robert Cavelier de La Sallesettled inNew Franceat the foot of the fiery rapids of theSault Saint-LouisinVille-Marie(now calledMontreal). La Salle's dream, even his obsession, was to find the passage west to the "Vermeille Sea" -what he called thePacific Ocean- to reachChina. TwoNative Americans, it seems, had told him about this passage, and he liked to remind anyone who wanted to hear it. He did not want to leave to any other "the honor of finding the way to the South Sea and by extension China". Selling his land in Ville-Marie, he set out at the head of aflotillaof 14 men and a fewcanoes. Contrary to what he had suggested, he did not speak the language of theIroquoisnor that of theAlgonquins. He was unable to use acompassand had no knowledge of survival in the forest. The crew members had a difficult time reachingLake Ontario, to say the least. Once there, one of the crew members informed La Salle about a nearbyAmerindiannation, thePotawatomi, telling him they had not beenevangelizedyet. Feeling burned out, La Salle pretended to feel sick and quickly returned to Ville-Marie. There, he claimed to everyone that he exploredOhioand discovered theMississippi.
AtCoste Saint-Sulpice(now calledLachine), people witnessed the return of this crew, equipped to be gone for months, return barely a few weeks after they left. Many wondered if "China" was actually closer to Ville-Marie than they had previously thought. This would make "China" very close to Coste Saint-Sulpice. It was thought that perhaps people got into the habit of referring to Coste Saint-Sulpice as "China", hence resulting in its change of name from Coste Saint-Sulpice to Lachine. Moreover, La Salle's men had eaten corn during their entire expedition, and, according to Francœur, the iconic name"pâté chinois"may have been an invention ofFrancois Dollier de Casson, who wanted to make fun of La Salle's failed expedition. Members of the expedition were also ironically nicknamed the "Chinese" as they brought with them "chinese" costumes in case they met oriental dignitaries.
According to Jean-Marie Francœur, thepâté chinoishas for another suggested origin thepâté d'échine de porc, a pâté made ofcorn,pork loinandturnip. This dish appeared towards the beginnings ofNew France. At the time, corn and pork loin were common, withpotatoesnot being available. As such, turnips were taking their place. The name is hypothesised to have changed froméchinetoChineand then finally topâté chinois, with the composition of the pâté also changing with time to switch to potatoes and to use other types of meat.
In theQuébécoishumoroustelevision programLa Petite Vie, pâté chinois is used to show one of the characters' abysmal lack ofcommon senseas she regularly fails to properly prepare it, for example, by laying the threeingredientsside by side instead of layering them, or forgetting to mash the potatoes.