Mmmm... Wendy's adds poutine to its menu

Wendy's new poutine is not served on a plate.

PopGoesTheNews.com Fast food chain Wendy's wants to make poutine Canada's national dish.

To hype the addition of the Quebec culinary classic (made with fries, cheese curds and sauce) to its menu, Wendy's has launched a campaign encouraging Canadians to sign an online petition that it promises to deliver to Parliament.

"Poutine is a dish that has symbolic importance for many Canadians," said Ron Baugh, Senior Vice President of Wendy's Restaurants of Canada, in a release. "Many Canadians have grown up enjoying poutine and continue to seek it out as a treat. That's why we wanted to showcase the love of poutine across all provinces in an interactive campaign." 

Wendy's poutine is available for $3.99 or $2.20 as an upgrade in a combo (customers can get a free upgrade coupon at Poutition.ca). A 287g serving packs 660 calories, 37 grams of fat and 1410mg of sodium.

But salad munchers shouldn't be too quick to judge. The new menu item has fewer calories and less fat than some of Wendy's salads. A full size Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad has 880 calories, a whopping 60 grams of fat and 1470mg of sodium and a BLT Cobb Salad gives you 660 calories and 49 grams of fat and 1970mg of sodium.

And the new poutine is less artery-clogging than Wendy's Baconator double burger, which packs 980 calories, 64 grams of fat and 1960mg of sodium. 

(Wendy's has also added chili cheese fries to its selection of sides. A 266g serving has 520 calories, 27 grams of fat and 1080mg of sodium.)

UPDATE (04/27) • Warning! Not all Wendy's restaurants are honoring the coupons the company is offering online for a free upgrade to poutine with the purchase of a combo. See details (and the coupon) here.