A similar dish is called 'Chinese pie' in New England. There are no confirmed appearances of
pâté chinois before 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 book
Le mystère insondable du pâté chinois. According to his research, Chinese workers simply ate
rice and
soybeans during the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway (ruling out the Railway Hypothesis). In addition, he notes that
pâté chinois had only appeared on the tables of Québécois families in the 1930s, which makes it difficult to believe that it appeared during the
Industrial Revolution in
Maine (ruling out the South China Hypothesis). According to this author, the origin of
pâté chinois remains a mystery.
Railway hypothesis This hypothesis suggests that
pâté chinois came into existence at the end of the 19th century during the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway. At the time, railway workers, mostly of
Asian origin, were said to be fed on the job with only
ground beef,
potatoes and
corn as 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, named
pâté chinois in their honour.
French Canadian railway workers would have adopted this new dish shortly thereafter.
South China hypothesis Another hypothesis suggests that this dish originated from the city of
South China in
Maine. Many French Canadians had emigrated there to find work during the
Industrial Revolution. The “China pie”, a local specialty, would have become popular among the French Canadians and been translated into
pâté chinois.
Pemmican hypothesis Some believe that
pâté chinois might have evolved from
pemmican.
La Salle failed expedition hypothesis In his
Genesis 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 Salle settled in
New France at the foot of the fiery rapids of the
Sault Saint-Louis in
Ville-Marie (now called
Montreal). La Salle's dream, even his obsession, was to find the passage west to the "Vermeille Sea"—what he called the
Pacific Ocean—to reach
China. Two
Native 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 a
flotilla of 14 men and a few
canoes. Contrary to what he had suggested, he did not speak the language of the
Iroquois nor that of the
Algonquins. He was unable to use a
compass and had no knowledge of survival in the forest. The crew members had a difficult time reaching
Lake Ontario, to say the least. Once there, one of the crew members informed La Salle about a nearby
Amerindian nation, the
Potawatomi, telling him they had not been
evangelized yet. Feeling burned out, La Salle pretended to feel sick and quickly returned to Ville-Marie. There, he claimed to everyone that he explored
Ohio and discovered the
Mississippi. At
Coste Saint-Sulpice (now called
Lachine), 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", 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 name "
pâté chinois" may have been an invention of
François 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.
Échine hypothesis According to Jean-Marie Francœur, the
pâté chinois has for another suggested origin the ''pâté d'échine de porc
, a pâté made of corn, pork loin and turnip. This dish appeared towards the beginnings of New France. At the time, corn and pork loin were common, with potatoes not being available. As such, turnips were taking their place. The name is hypothesised to have changed from échine
to Chine
and then finally to pâté chinois'', with the composition of the pâté also changing with time to switch to potatoes and to use other types of meat. ==Cultural references==