'Poutine' Is Trending In Canada Because Of Vladimir Putin & The Anglo-Franco Confusion Is Real

Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Poutine or just poutine? The popular food and the Russian president have been trending online in Canada recently and it's partly due to some good ol' Anglo-Franco confusion.

For English speakers, you likely know the controversial leader of Russia as Vladimir Putin, so it may come as a surprise that French speakers refer to him as Vladimir Poutine.

If you've been following along with the news about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Canadian federal leaders refer to the Russian president both ways depending on if they are tweeting in English or en Français.

The whole thing has led to some confusion online between the popular Quebec dish and the person currently leading an invasion of Ukraine, which is an understandably bizarre mixup.

"Saw #Poutine was trending & got excited for a cheesy, gravy covered tater-poutine from @MaryBrowns (highly recommend). Instantly hungry," one person tweeted.

"I was led astray to see it was not about our Canadien cuisine, but a dictator. Poutine has done nothing to deserve association with that man."

"Please for the love of all that is Canadian. #Poutine is french fries with gravey and cheese, not the Russian leader," tweeted another, along with a Drake meme.

It's even led to some mix-ups with the person who owns the @poutine handle getting tags and mentions in tweets about the actions of Vladimir himself.

"Someone tell French people I'm not the president of Russia please I just really like French fries with gravy and cheese curds," they tweeted.

The United Nations also refers to Vladimir both ways. Depending on if you are on the site in English or French, he's either referred to as "President Vladimir Putin" or "le Président russe Vladimir Poutine."

The more you know!

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.