The wieners are steamed or boiled; the hot dog rolls are steamed.
The rolls used aren’t the ones with rounded ends; rather they are more like long, perfectly rectangular rolls, with crustless sides, with a slit through the top rather than the side to hold the wiener. Similar rolls are used in Boston for hot dogs (see entry on New England Hotdog Rolls.)
Both the bun and the wiener end up soft and squishy.
Steamies are the most popular way of serving hot dogs in Québec. They will almost always come with coleslaw (made of cabbage with a vinegar dressing), mustard, sweet green relish and often shredded onion.
They will rarely be served with ketchup.
History Notes
Montreal Steamies used to be sold throughout Montreal from hot dog waggons, starting in about 1930, but then the street vendors were banned in 1947. They were deemed deemed unsightly (with the usual additional reasons of hygiene, etc, provided instead.) The ban on street Steamies has been rigidly enforced to this day (2007.)
Language Notes
Called “un steamé” in French.