In the New England region of the U.S., especially in Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts (e.g., Chicopee and Attleboro), late 19th and early 20th century, immigrants from Quebec introduced the dish.

In coastal areas, fish such as salmon is commonly used, whereas pork, beef, rabbit and game are often included inland.

[6][7][8]: 63 Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean has become the traditional and iconic dish of the region of Saguenay, Quebec, since the Second World War, and it has undergone several metamorphoses.

During the 18th century, "sea pie" became popular among French and British colonists, and it seems to be "the direct forerunner of the tourtière of Lac-Saint-Jean".

Tourtière is an integral part of holiday-time meals for French Canadians in the Winnipeg neighbourhoods of St. Boniface and St. Norbert, as well as in Manitoba's rural Francophone areas.